July 17 Evening Edition

ABC7
— 3 POLICE OFFICERS KILLED, AT LEAST 3 OTHERS INJURED IN BATON ROUGE; 1 SUSPECT DEAD
http://abc7chicago.com/news/3-police-officers-killed-3-others-injured-in-baton-rouge/1430394/

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ‘Trumpocalypse’ descends on Cleveland – LAURA WASHINGTON
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/laura-washington-trumpocalypse-cleveland/
— The circus is in town, and that town is Cleveland – Neil Steinberg
http://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/steinberg-the-circus-is-in-town-and-that-town-is-cleveland/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Republicans release list of convention speakers
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-republicans-convention-speakers-20160717-story.html
— Convention to show GOP’s love-hate for Trump – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-bc-us–campaign-2016-convention-things-to-watch-20160717-story.html
— ‘You can’t be neutral’: Demonstrators march against discrimination – Lee V. Gaines  (DIERSEN: In 1978, when we got married, my wife and I bought 1017 East Harrison in Wheaton.  My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates hinted/implied/argued/shouted that everyone in Wheaton was a racist.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/news/ct-oak-march-to-madison-tl-0721-20160716-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Speaking to a group of more than 100 demonstrators Saturday night, a 71-year-old Oak Park resident, who said she marched in the Civil Rights movement decades ago, said it’s “absolutely ridiculous” that individuals must continue to take a stand against racism and discrimination in their communities. . .The march, which began at Oak Park River Forest High School and ended on Madison Street outside the Forest Park Music Fest, was led by OPRF teacher Anthony Clark. Clark said he organized the demonstration to raise awareness of racism and discrimination in Chicago’s suburban communities.)
— Baton Rouge police shooting updates: Gunman identified, described as ‘black separatist’
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-baton-rouge-police-killed-live-updates-htmlstory.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Divided Republicans ponder their after-Trump.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-hunt-4a3a09fe-4c30-11e6-bf27-405106836f96-20160717-story.html
— For “blue-collar billionaire” Donald Trump, money’s an asset – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-bc-us–campaign-2016-trump-wealth-20160717-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A handful of vacation homes. A car elevator for his four-car garage. A wife whose hobbies included show horses. When Mitt Romney ran for president four years ago, his estimated $250 million fortune was quickly turned into a liability by Democrats, who painted the former Bain Capital chief as out of touch with Americans still struggling to recover from the Great Recession. Four years later, Donald Trump’s much-bigger pile of money is a central character of his campaign. And far from seeing it as a liability, the candidate flaunts it. “I’m the most successful person ever to run for president,” the billionaire businessman has bragged, noting that he’s “really rich.” On the stump, he vows to “make our country rich again.”)
— Woman egged at Trump’s San Jose rally is hailed at GOP convention – Seema Mehta  (DIERSEN: If/when an anti-Trump hits you with an egg, how will you react?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-woman-egged-at-trump-s-san-jose-rally-1468771578-htmlstory.html

 

DAILY HERALD
— Rauner still needs Trump, despite differences  This even though governor is skipping Cleveland convention – Bruce Rauner
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160717/news/160719205/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “GOP convention aims to make Trump likable.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160717/news/160719214/
— Divided America: To some, Trump is a desperate survival bid – AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160717/news/307179946/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Cleveland, a fractured city, an apt place for GOP convention.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160717/news/307179979/

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Chicago biz tired of the Chicago Way – Editorial
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160716/ISSUE07/307169998/chicago-biz-tired-of-the-chicago-way

 

WSIL TV
— Louisiana police shootings add new convention concerns – AP
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/32463161/louisiana-police-shootings-add-new-convention-concerns

 

QUAD CITY ONLINE
— Depression hit hard in many areas of Illinois, including Q-C – Tom Emery
http://www.qconline.com/news/illinois/depression-hit-hard-in-many-areas-of-illinois-including-q/article_a66f4f75-b24e-55b3-9bb5-cc15ecd339ee.html

 

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Survey: Public-university administrator pay up 4.3% in fiscal 2015 – Julie Wurth
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-07-17/survey-public-university-adminstrator-pay-43-fiscal-2015.html

 

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— State’s new court for tax protests has Chicago office but none downstate — in violation of law – CASEY BISCHEL
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article90138567.html
— Top Illinois Republicans are no-shows in Cleveland – AP  (DIERSEN: In my opinion, the higher the office in the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) that you hold, the greater your obligation is every 4 years to become a delegate and to attend the Republican Party’s national convention.  As a Republican Precinct Committeeman, I hold the lowest office. Those above me are a) members of Republican township/ward/county party organization committees, b) chairmen of Republican township/ward/county party organization committees, c) officers of Republican township/ward/county party organization committees, d) State Central Committee Members, e) the IRP officers, f) the IRP National Committeeman, and g) the IRP National Committeewoman.  Of course, needless-to-say, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes do not want me to hold a higher office.  They stress that even though I have been an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman since 2000 in Milton Township, I do not hold a higher office.)
http://www.bnd.com/news/state/illinois/article90157287.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: When the Republican Party launches its quadrennial celebration in Cleveland this week to anoint its nominee for president, some prominent party faithful from Illinois won’t be there. First-term U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is out-front with his reason — he doesn’t like the presumptive nominee, businessman Donald Trump, calling him “too bigoted and racist” for the job. But other top leaders, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, are joining Republicans from around the country in ditching the convention without saying why. Many face tough re-election races in November and are trying to distance themselves from the contentious name at the top of the ticket. “I will be traveling the state of Illinois, meeting with community leaders, business leaders and some legislators and signing some of the most important legislation that got passed this spring,” Rauner said last week after declining to answer reporters’ questions about the convention or the presidential race, in general. Trump has been criticized for disparaging remarks about immigrants, Muslims, women, and critics in and out of his party. Trump supporters have been critical of those who have ducked out on Cleveland. “It’s a sign of weakness,” Linda Lucchese, a Trump delegate from Park Ridge, said of them. “They’re not very strong, not many politicians are. Trump does think, he does make decisions, he has been successful. … He has a strong personality and they fear that.” Among the other prominent Republican no-shows from Illinois will be Comptroller Leslie Munger, who indicated more than a month ago that her focus would be on the state’s financial crisis as the end of one fiscal year without a budget agreement was nearing and a second about to begin. But lawmakers and Rauner have since approved a partial-year spending plan to stave off the budget bickering between Democrats and Republicans in the Statehouse at least until after the November election. The Land of Lincoln will be well-represented by well-known GOP faces, however. State Party Chairman Tim Schneider will attend as a national committee member. Two former party chairmen are delegates, along with sitting state legislators who are delegates or alternates. Many who won’t make the trip clearly have their eyes on November. Kirk, who faces a popular Democratic congresswoman, Tammy Duckworth, announced last month that he wouldn’t support Trump, saying he doesn’t have the proper presidential temperament. Munger, who was appointed to the post by Rauner after the death of Judy Baar Topinka, is up against Democratic Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza. Rauner isn’t on this year’s ballot, but his never-ending fight with the Democrats who control the Legislature has gotten so big it has implications for the 2018 election for governor. Another prominent Republican who won’t be attending the convention is Regional Transportation Authority Chairman Kirk Dillard, a former state senator and two-time gubernatorial candidate, most recently in 2014 when he finished runner-up in the primary to Rauner. He declined to say why he’s not going. U.S. Rep. Robert Dold, from Chicago’s suburbs, is staying in his district to campaign; he has said he will not endorse Trump. While some might question the backbone of a politician who ditches the convention and won’t say why, Nick Kachiroubas, a political scientist at DePaul University, said the no-shows are making a “major statement” by not attending while trying to “be respectful” of the process. “If you truly feel you can’t support a candidate, your non-attendance says a lot more, maybe, than verbally not supporting him,” Kachiroubas said. “But does it speak to party unity? Absolutely not.”)

 

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Local delegates, ISU group headed to Republican convention – Derek Beigh
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/local-delegates-isu-group-headed-to-republican-convention/article_a4031770-bb6a-527c-8855-ad16c545f15f.html

 

RIVER CITY READER
— Fairy Tales Will Obscure Grim Reality of Stopgap Budget – Rich Miller
http://www.rcreader.com/205-home-page-test/44764-fairy-tales-obscure-budget-reality-2

 

NCTV17
— DuPage Unity in Diversity Memorial
http://www.nctv17.com/dupage-unity-in-diversity-memorial/

 

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— La Harpe Councilman: Unpatriotic and Un-American to want torn flag replaced – John Kraft
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2016/07/la-harpe-councilman-unpatriotic-and-un-american-to-want-torn-flag-replaced/

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Mike Pence bucked Republican establishment on rise to conservative stardom – Stephen Dinan  (DIERSEN: Who are the conservative stars in Illinois, in your county, in your township/ward, and in your municipality?)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/17/mike-pence-bucked-republican-establishment-on-rise/

 

NEWSMAX
— Three Police Officers Killed by Multiple Attackers in Baton Rouge
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/police-officers-shot-in/2016/07/17/id/739054/

 

WORLD NET DAILY
— TOP 8 SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TRUMP AND REAGAN – Chuck Norris sees striking parallels between The Donald and The Gipper
http://www.wnd.com/2016/07/top-8-similarities-between-trump-and-reagan/

 

BREITBART
— Nice Terror Attack Cut Short by Civilian Who Jumped into Truck – AWR HAWKINS
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2016/07/15/nice-terror-attack-cut-short-citizen-jumped-cab-semi-truck/

 

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Trump on Baton Rouge shooting: ‘We demand law and order’ – SARAH WESTWOOD
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-on-baton-rouge-shooting-we-demand-law-and-order/article/2596732

 

POLITICO
— Vulnerable Senate Republicans outpolling Trump  But Democrats note that it’s still early, and they expect Trump to drag down the GOP — and their candidates to start pulling ahead — in September. – Burgess Everett and Kevin Robillard  (FROM THE ARTICLE: In Democratic strategists’ view, every Republican — except for Trump-opposing Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois — now owns Trump’s policies and all of his rhetorical baggage.)
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/senate-republicans-trump-225637

 

THE HILL
— Trump fires back at Warren: She ‘must prove she is not a fraud’ – Rebecca Savransky
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/288050-trump-recommends-warren-as-clinton-vp
— Comparing Trump to Hitler says a lot more about the accuser than the accused – Bill Ozanick  (DIERSEN: How soon, if not already, will the anti-Trumps in Illinois, in your county, in your township/ward, in your municipality, and in your precinct say that you are Hitler if you do not join them in demonizing, denigrating, and condemning Trump and Trump’s supporters?)
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/presidential-campaign/287993-comparing-trump-to-hitler-says-a-lot-more-about-the
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After my article entitled, “Likening Trump to Hitler: a dangerous comparison” was published two weeks ago, I was astounded by the amount of readers who felt I’d failed to demonstrate exactly why Donald Trump is not Adolf Hitler. I believe this alleged failure to prove a negative was the corollary of a limited word count and imagination; I never imagined so many people would need to be convinced that Trump is not Hitler. For starters, Hitler announced his 25-point Program in 1920 which promulgated that only those with German blood could be citizens, not Jews. Nearly three years later, and a decade before he even became Chancellor of Germany, Hitler began dictating Mein Kampf from his prison cell. He was in prison for staging a failed takeover of the government in Bavaria – known as the Beer Hall Putsch – where four police officers and sixteen Nazis were killed. Murder and armed revolution do not appear to be Trump’s modus operandi. But back to Mein Kampf, where Hitler outlined his racial theories and rambled on ad nauseam about the Jews being categorically evil and the need for them to be exterminated. So much for the claim that “no one knew Hitler was Hitler until he became Hitler!” As historian Eberhard Jäckl rightly stated, “Perhaps never in history did a ruler write down before he came to power what he was to do afterwards as precisely as Adolf Hitler.” Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’ (1941-1945) was not unpredictable. Some may agree that Trump isn’t Hitler, but still whine that the resemblances are frightening; this is nonsense. While Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. is absolutely un-American and deserving of censure, trying to prevent ISIS operatives from entering the U.S. (who are trying to pose as refugees) cannot be compared to Hitler’s ideas and decrees. There is not a modicum of evidence to suggest Trump would immediately call for a boycott of all Muslim businesses and bar Muslims from holding civil service, university, and state positions (like Hitler did with the Jews) if he were to be elected. The mere existence of the “Jewish race” was what acutely troubled Hitler, while Trump has never even hinted at having a problem with those of a “Muslim race”. While I disagree with the rhetoric Trump uses when discussing immigration, he is plainly distressed with the large numbers of Hispanics and Latinos who have entered the U.S. illegally (as was President Clinton); he has never implied that he has a problem with the mere existence of their race. If he did, one in four Hispanic registered voters would probably not support Trump. However, I do realize that facts often don’t matter to the social justice warriors who desperately want to feel that they are just as valiant as those who stood up to the real Hitler. It’s axiomatic that the ultimate goal of those who compare Trump to Hitler (even if they know it to be untrue) is to frighten and cajole others into not voting for Trump, yet this tactic almost always has the opposite effect. I’ve personally witnessed a friend who was doing rather well in attempting to persuade another to not vote for Trump, hitting on all the right points (his capriciousness, ignorance of geopolitics, etc.), but the moment she made the Hitler comparison, the discussion was abruptly derailed. This charge reliably destroys any meaningful discussions that may have otherwise occurred. Considering there is plenty to criticize when it comes to Trump, as there is with Clinton (both scored historic unfavorable ratings earlier this year), it is baffling why so many still feel the need to make the Hitler comparison. Trump is unquestionably unpresidential (this is the man who mocked a disabled reporter), but he’s nothing like Hitler. I encourage everyone to challenge and condemn the immoral and unfeasible ideas that Trump has, such as the proposal to deport 11 million undocumented migrants, but comparing Trump to Hitler is not only inaccurate, ineffective, dishonest, and dangerous, it also trivializes the tragedy of the Holocaust in the name of scoring political points. Indeed, comparing Trump to Hitler says a lot more about the accuser than the accused. If you truly want to convince someone else to not vote for Trump, while maintaining your intellectual honesty and ostensible acumen, you really need to stop comparing Trump to Hitler.)

 

POLITICO
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “GOP lawmakers skip Cleveland for fly-fishing, farming and haircuts  Other members of Congress are attending out of a sense of duty to the party rather than affection for Trump.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/congress-republican-convention-cleveland-225630

 

ABC NEWS
— In First Joint Interview, Mike Pence Aims to Be Trump-Interpreter – CANDACE SMITH
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/joint-interview-mike-pence-aims-trump-interpreter/story?id=40654283

 

NBC NEWS
— Donald Trump Shifts on Muslim Ban, Calls for ‘Extreme Vetting’ – ALI VITALI
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-shifts-muslim-ban-calls-extreme-vetting-n611276

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— G.O.P. Convention Will Test Limits of Trump’s Media Blacklist – SYDNEY EMBER  (DIERSEN: Who blacklists you? I am proud to say that the following blacklist me: those who a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, c) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, d) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, e) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, f) are operatives for the aforesaid, and/or g) are dupes for the aforesaid and/or those who are anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.  Sadly, if not tragically, far too many of the aforesaid live in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois.  Those who blacklist me blacklist many millions of people.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/18/business/media/gop-convention-will-test-limits-of-trumps-media-blacklist.html
— Ignoring Donald Trump, Republican Senators Orbit Their Own Worlds – TRIP GABRIEL
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/18/us/politics/senate-race-rnc-trump.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Priebus: Trump to launch Hispanic engagement tour after convention – Elise Viebeck
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/17/priebus-trump-to-launch-hispanic-engagement-tour-after-convention/

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Republican Convention to Kick Off With Many Party Stalwarts Absent  Excuses range from entertaining to predictable, just as Donald Trump looks to cast himself as a unifier – JULIAN ROUTH and  MICHELLE HACKMAN
http://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-convention-to-kick-off-with-many-party-stalwarts-absent-1468782407

 

FED SMITH
— Legislation Introduced to Facilitate the Removal Process of Federal Employees – Ian Smith  (DIERSEN: Of course, needless-to-say, my critics/opponents agree with all the adverse actions a) that my Democrat GAO superiors took against me including forcing me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, not promoting me beyond GS-13, keeping me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forcing me to take an $18,459 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, b) that my Democrat IRS superiors took against me including not promoting me beyond GS-12, disallowing my education deductions, and disallowing my partial day per diem claims, and c) that my Democrat Post Office superiors toke against me including forcing me resign in 1969 and disallowing my sick leave requests.)
http://www.fedsmith.com/2016/07/17/legislation-introduced-to-facilitate-the-removal-process-of-federal-employees/

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.