February 20 Morning Edition

ABC7
— Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 2,219 new coronavirus cases, 63 deaths; Cook County Health gives 100,000th shot – Stacey Baca
https://abc7chicago.com/health/il-reports-2219-new-covid-19-cases-63-deaths/10354123/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— GOP candidates in Ohio Senate race compete over who is more pro-Trump – Paul Steinhauser
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/gop-candidates-in-ohio-senate-race-compete-over-who-is-more-pro-trump

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Madigan’s heir apparent still up in the air — and he rejects call to stay out it. Leaders of the Coalition for Change IL3 released a list of demands Friday regarding the appointment, including that Madigan hand his votes over to a proxy and play no role in the decision. – Rachel Hinton
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/2/19/22291968/mike-michael-madigan-heir-apparent-resignation-appointment-house-speaker-representative

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— With Madigan gone, can Illinois afford a Munchkin moment? – JOHN KASS
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-illinois-corruption-ethics-john-kass-madigan-20210220-e3mdxb6pvfhqjbpg6wdvdhjccy-story.html
— Struggling Cook County suburban areas face overdose epidemic, with death rates similar to Chicago, report says – JOHN KEILMAN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-cook-county-opioid-overdoses-20210219-ly3yy24utvcgnedizsamkzdzxa-story.html
— With Chicago slipping toward chaos, report outlines how police and city leaders missed signs unrest was escalating and botched response – JEREMY GORNER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-looting-response-tick-tock-20210219-5o6x3krnlve25gtytzmaep2dpi-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— Glendale Heights village president, one opponent survive ballot challenge – Susan Sarkauskas
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210219/glendale-heights-village-president-one-opponent-survive-ballot-challenge

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Utility bills in some small Illinois towns skyrocket because of Texas cold – Ben Szalinski
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2021/02/19/illinois-natural-gas-prices-increase-cold-winter-weather-forecast-snow/4506491001/

SUBURBAN CHICAGOLAND
— Mike Madigan does get to select his successor – Ray Hanania
https://suburbanchicagoland.com/2021/02/19/mike-madigan-does-get-to-select-his-successor/

WGLT
— How McLean County Shaped Adam Kinzinger – ERIC STOCK
(DIERSEN: What state, what county, what township, what municipality, and what church and school shaped you? Illinois, Will County, Crete Township, Crete, Trinity Lutheran church and school in Crete, and Hope Lutheran church and school in Park Forest shaped me. My ancestors have been in northeast Illinois since 1844 and in Crete since 1854. I lived in Crete 1948-1972 and my brother continues to live in Crete.)
https://www.wglt.org/post/how-mclean-county-shaped-adam-kinzinger#stream/0

NPR ILLINOIS
— With Or Without Trump, Republicans Will Likely Keep Right And Head South – RON ELVING
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/or-without-trump-republicans-will-likely-keep-right-and-head-south#stream/0

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— IL-14: Underwood Endorses Anna Valencia in Democratic Party Primary for Secretary of State
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/19/il-14-underwood-endorses-anna-valencia-in-democratic-party-primary-for-secretary-of-state/
— Nunda Township Road Commissioner Lesperance Touts Financial Record
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/19/lesperance-touts-financial-record/
— AOC Transforms from Petty Partisan to Stateswoman in Less Than 12 Hours
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/19/aoc021921/
— Pritzker’s Paragraph on Ethics
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/19/pritzkers-paragraph-on-ethics/
— Pritzker Provides Laugh Line
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/19/message-of-the-day-a-laugh-line/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— WEAK ACCOUNTING STANDARDS ENABLE ILLINOIS BUDGET DEFICITS – Justin Carlson
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/weak-accounting-standards-enable-illinois-budget-deficits/
— MADIGAN WILL RETIRE WITH $2.9 MILLION PUBLIC PENSION AFTER CONTRIBUTING JUST $350,000 – Adam Schuster
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/madigan-will-retire-with-2-9-million-public-pension-after-contributing-just-350000/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Study: Heroin chief cause of suburban Chicago opioid deaths – AP
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/19/study-heroin-chief-cause-of-suburban-chicago-opioi/

FOX NEWS
— ‘The View’ hosts trash Rush Limbaugh, say he ‘normalized hatred’ for ‘people sitting in their trucks’ Meghan McCain credits broadcaster for rise of ‘infotainment’ – David Rutz
https://www.foxnews.com/media/view-hosts-trash-rush-limbaugh-normalized-hatred-trucks
— McDonald’s plans to diversify leadership following racial discrimination allegations World’s biggest restaurant chain moves to bring more women and minorities into management roles
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/mcdonalds-plans-diversify-leadership-following-racial-discrimination-allegations

FEDERALIST
— Wisconsin’s Capital City Is Trying To Ban White People From Police Oversight Board. Heralded as a serious effort at ‘equity’ and ‘inclusion,’ Madison’s Police Civilian Oversight Board openly states that white people need not apply and are not welcome. – Daniel Lennington
(DIERSEN: How soon, if not already, will your municipality officially banish people, organizations, and companies that are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?)
https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/19/wisconsins-capital-city-is-trying-to-ban-white-people-from-police-oversight-board/

BREITBART
— Marco Rubio: ‘Nothing Compassionate’ About Joe Biden’s Open Borders Policies. “By ending the Migrant Protection Protocols, the Biden Administration is sending yet another signal that it is okay to come to this country unlawfully,” Rubio said. – John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/19/marco-rubio-nothing-compassionate-about-joe-bidens-open-borders-policies/

NEWS BUSTERS
— North Dakota Fights Big Tech Censorship, Introduces Bill Allowing Suits Against Platforms – Kayla Sargent
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents want to sue me for my including links in GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters to articles that they do not like. But beyond hypocritically, they do not sue the authors of those articles.)
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/kayla-sargent/2021/02/19/north-dakota-fights-big-tech-censorship-introduces-bill

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Dems seek to erase Trump from all federal property, forever – including burial in Arlington Nat. Cemetery – W.E. Thompson Jr.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/02/19/dems-seek-to-erase-trump-from-all-federal-property-forever-including-burial-in-arlington-nat-cemetery-1032216/

NTD
— CPAC 2021 Approaches With Trump as Possible Speaker – Zachary Stieber
https://www.ntd.com/cpac-2021-approaches-with-trump-as-possible-speaker_569444.html

NBC NEWS
— News organizations struggle to meet diversity pledges despite key hires. “We want employees to know we’re not just window-washing,” said one media diversity executive. – Ahiza García-Hodges
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/news-organizations-struggle-meet-diversity-pledges-despite-key-hires-n1258264

NEW YORK TIMES
— Where Will Rush Limbaugh’s 15 Million Listeners Go Now? – Michael M. Grynbaum
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/business/media/rush-limbaugh-conservative-media.html
— Biden Is Going Big, and Americans Are With Him – Timothy Egan
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats will use government to get rid of the following once and for all: individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. Ever-increasingly, Democrats will promote/force dependency on government, dependency on charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, abolition of the First and Second Amendments, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. Ever-increasingly, Democrats will promote poverty and crime.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/opinion/biden-democratic-majority-winning.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Nobody loves ‘cancel culture’ more than Republicans do – Paul Waldman
(DIERSEN: Who leads the cancel culture in your municipal district, in your municipality, in your township, in your county district, in your county, and in Illinois? I should write a book about those who lead the cancel culture in Wheaton’s West District, in Wheaton, in Milton Township, in DuPage County’s 4th District, in DuPage County, and in Illinois.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/19/nobody-loves-cancel-culture-more-than-republicans-do/
— The GOP is Rush Limbaugh’s party. Trump only inherited it. – Brian Rosenwald
(DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who hate Rush Limbaugh and hate those who listen to him. I would focus on Democrat plant, Libertarian plant, Green plant, and RINO activists, candidates, elected officials, party leaders, major donors, political consultants, campaign managers, campaign staff members, campaign volunteers, etc. in Illinois, DuPage County, DuPage County’s 4th District, Milton Township, Wheaton, and Wheaton’s West District.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/02/19/rush-limbaugh-gop-rino-trump/
— Texas journalists are providing critical information about a disaster they’re living through – Elahe Izadi
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents blame me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for all disasters. I should write a book about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who falsely paint themselves as being religious, conservative, and/or Republican and have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton’s West District, Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County’s 4th District, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have been candidates on ballots in my precinct, their major donors, their political consultants, their campaign managers, their campaign staff members, and their campaign volunteers. I would focus on those who have been leaders of the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Illinois Republican Party. I would focus on those who reject the traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity planks in the Republican Party platform. I would focus on those who promote dependency on government, dependency on charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/02/19/texas-winter-storm-journalism/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Migrants Crowd Border Crossing as Biden Administration Begins Undoing Trump Policy – Alicia A. Caldwell and Michelle Hackman
https://www.wsj.com/articles/migrants-crowd-border-crossing-as-biden-administration-begins-undoing-trump-immigration-policy-11613765396
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats want immigrants because immigrants vote for Democrats. RINOs want immigrants because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-immigration-opportunity-11613777993
— Online Speech Is Now an Existential Question for Tech. Content moderation rules used to be a question of taste. Now, they can determine a service’s prospects for survival. – Christopher Mims
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents hint/imply/argue/shout that because I am a Republican Precinct Committeeman, I should have to get prior approval from the following before I include links in GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters to articles that they do not like: the chairmen of the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC), and Illinois Republican Party (IRP). Failing that, the want the MTRO, DCRCC. and IRP to punish me for including links in GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters to articles that they do not like.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/online-speech-is-now-an-existential-question-for-tech-11613797254
(FROM THE ARTICLE: How do we make sure we’re not facilitating misinformation, violence, fraud or hate speech? At the same time, how do we ensure we’re not censoring users?)
— Lawmakers in U.K., Canada Slam Facebook After Australia News Blackout. Facebook said it had little choice but to restrict news in Australia because of proposed regulation. – Mike Cherney
https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-in-u-k-canada-slam-facebook-after-australia-news-blackout-11613735931
— Texas-Style Blackouts Are the Future. The grid is designed to shut down, and we’re designing it to shut down more often. – Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always extremely critical of my judgment. I should write a book about those who have been especially critical of my having a whole house natural gas fired backup electric generator installed.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-style-blackouts-are-the-future-11613772034

FORBES
— One Of The Most Powerful Politicians In U.S. History Leaves Office With His State’s Finances In Shambles – Patrick Gleason
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2021/02/19/one-of-the-most-powerful-politicians-in-us-history-leaves-office-with-his-states-finances-in-shambles/?sh=424da142615e

USA TODAY
— My family couldn’t survive on $7.25 minimum wage. But $15 gives us a fighting chance. – Alvin Major
(DIERSEN: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/02/19/minimum-wage-fight-for-15-strike-column/4493217001/

ORLANDO SENTINEL
— CPAC, America’s biggest conservative event, is coming to Orlando. Organizers say it will be safe. – STEVEN LEMONGELLO and STEVEN WALKER
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-prem-ne-cpac-orlando-advance-20210220-pfox44wrvbddtpmnkzb35sbzde-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Republican heavy-hitters ranging from Floridians Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to national figures such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and embattled Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz are scheduled to appear at the Hyatt Regency Orlando from Thursday through Sunday. . .And there’s Charlie Kirk, chair of a conservative youth group, Turning Point USA.)

WION NEWS
— Coca-Cola promotes anti-white rhetoric, invites backlash
https://www.wionews.com/world/coca-cola-promotes-anti-white-rhetoric-invites-backlash-365070

HR DRIVE
— Glassdoor breaks down ratings, salaries by employee demographics – Kate Tornone
(DIERSEN: If I had not been denied my 7th Amendment rights in Diersen v. GAO, I would have presented a jury with evidence that my Democrat GAO superiors paid their employees who were Democrat, minority, female, and/or younger far more than they paid their employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or older and who had similar or more education, work experience, and/or professional certifications and licenses.)
https://www.hrdive.com/news/glassdoor-breaks-down-ratings-salaries-by-employee-demographics/595306/

GUARDIAN
— Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s plan to honour Rush Limbaugh raises hackles. Democratic leader angry at honour for deeply divisive figure. Flags to fly at half-staff for late hard-right talk radio host. – Martin Pengelly
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/feb/20/rush-limbaugh-florida-ron-desantis-flags-half-staff

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.