July 7, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— Violence interrupter says large gathering on West Side got “out of hand” before mass shooting.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mass-shooting-west-garfield-park/


CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/07/opinion-pride-parade-judges-lgbtq-community/
— DD: To get even more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Republicans caused, are causing, and will forever cause all the problems that Blacks have. I should write about the successes and failures that my Democrat superiors in the federal government had doing that.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/06/bronzeville-exhibit-emmett-tills-legacy/

DAILY HERALD
— Age change in road tests is not enough.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260706/letters-to-the-editor/age-change-in-road-tests-is-not-enough/

MUDDY RIVER NEWS
— ‘Underdog’ Tracy says he’s ‘answering a call of duty’ by running for Durbin’s seat.
https://muddyrivernews.com/politics/underdog-tracy-says-hes-answering-a-call-of-duty-by-running-for-durbins-seat/20260707061334/

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-06/militant-lgbtq-rights-group-the-lavender-panthers-was-founded-on-this-day-in-1973
— DD: Democrat leaders used, are using, and will forever use slavery against Republicans.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-07/heirs-of-odious-supreme-court-ruling-see-modern-parallels

CWB CHICAGO
— 7 people shot at huge West Side street party while cops were already at the scene.
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/07/7-people-shot-at-huge-west-side-street-party-while-cops-were-already-at-the-scene.html

CHICAGO MAGAZINE
— DD: Democrat leaders say “Belittling Chicago didn’t help Darren Bailey in his first run for governor. So if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/august-2026/meet-your-new-neighbor-darren-bailey/

CHICAGO MAROON
— Post-graduate success overstated. DD: What was your post-graduate success? When I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 in 1970, I had to have a job. I had applied for a financial hardship draft deferment to help support my mother and brother. So I accepted the only job offer that I got. It was being the Retail Sales Manager for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights. But the job did not really require a college degree. To “learn the business,” I was required to dismount, mount, and balance many tires, pump lots of gasoline, change lots of engine oil and filters, change batteries, deliver major appliances to homes, etc. My Chicago Heights store boss would never had hired me, but his boss had assigned me to him. He did not have a college degree. He refused to let me start until after I passed a 2-week probationary period in the Firestone Store in Gary, Indiana. He disapproved of my avoiding the Vietnam War draft. He disapproved of my being Protestant, my being German American, my having ancestors who had been in America since 1844, and my living in Crete. Under him, I saw that my Firestone career was bleak if not nonexistent. Consequently, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. He rudely if not violently fired me because I had accepted that offer. I had to have a job. So I accepted the only job offer that I got. It was to be an IRS Revenue Officer. Then, oddly, puzzlingly, he then offered me a job working part-time pumping gasoline which I accepted until he “asked” me to resign at the end of 1972. The money I earned helped me a) buy a new Corvette in 1971, b) pay for four graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972, and c) buy a new townhome in University Park in 1972.
https://chicagomaroon.com/52872/news/career-advancement-appears-to-overstate-post-graduation-student-outcomes/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— State House race: Republican Ajay Gupta will be feted at a fundraiser cohosted by U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy, former Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi and Republican insiders Bill Hogan and Nancy Quigley in his bid to unseat Democratic state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/07/pritzker-draws-the-ai-line-00988435

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/07/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-764/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois loses young people at more than 3 times the U.S. rate. DD: Anticipate/expect that young people who leave Illinois will overwhelming be conservative, Republican, White, male, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrat leaders want to get rid of those who are the aforesaid.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-loses-young-people-at-more-than-3-times-the-u-s-rate/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Chicago Among Nation’s Most Violent Cities During Fourth of July Holiday Weekend.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/07/chicago-among-nations-most-violent-cities-during-fourth-of-july-holiday-weekend.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— White House says Smithsonian pushes leftist ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/white-house-says-smithsonian-pushes-leftist-ideology-cannot-trusted/
— Mamdani’s twisted view of America.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/mamdanis-twisted-view-america/
— Soccer’s culture clashes with America’s values.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/soccers-culture-clashes-americas-values/
— The 14th Amendment was written for one people. Courts have treated the Constitution’s citizenship clause more broadly than the framers intended.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/14th-amendment-written-one-people/

NEW YORK POST
— Activists demand Black English be pushed on kids in California preschools.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/06/us-news/activists-demand-black-english-be-pushed-on-kids-in-california-preschools/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Why Do Jews Keep Voting for Leftists Who Hate Them? DD: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats, and far too many of them were antisemites. My Democrat antisemite superiors had my many Jewish superiors and supervisors take many big adverse actions against me. They stressed that I was conservative, Republican, Protestant, and 100% German American.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/07/why-do-jews-keep-voting-for-leftists-who-hate-them-comments/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Trump Has These Options to Fight Birth Tourism.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/06/even-after-scotus-citizenship-ruling-trump-has-these-options-to-fight-birth-tourism/
— Congress Can Ban Birthright Citizenship.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/06/congress-ban-birthright-citizenship/

FEDERALIST
— Democratic Socialists Who Failed At Life Are Weaponizing Envy To Destroy American Families.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/06/democratic-socialists-who-failed-at-life-are-weaponizing-envy-to-destroy-american-families/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5954347-democratic-party-socialism-debate/

ABC NEWS
— In scathing report, White House accuses Smithsonian of presenting ‘a radical view of American history.’ The Smithsonian says it is committed to “nonpartisan” scholarship.
https://abcnews.com/amp/Politics/scathing-report-white-house-accuses-smithsonian-presenting-radical/story?id=134515705

NEWSWEEK
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-socialists-communists-differences-trump-attacks-midterms-12162129

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/nyregion/dsa-economy-nyc.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/06/democrats-are-electing-socialists-republicans-are-labeling-them-communist/

USA TODAY
— DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, they had to meet hiring, retention, and promotion quotas. All of my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and b) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/02/26/trump-lawsuit-affirmative-action/88291520007/

BIG NEWS NETWORK
— Indiana law targets employers hiring undocumented workers. DD: All my employers would have hired non-citizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279171460/indiana-law-targets-employers-hiring-undocumented-workers

INVESTOPEDIA
— Less than 30% of today’s workers have a defined benefit pension, yet more than half of current retirees receive pension income. Public-sector workers are more likely to have pensions than private-sector workers, and the benefits they pay are typically much larger. DD: I got in line for a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension when I was 18 in 1966. I have been getting a CSRS pension, currently $68,640/year, since I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents have always been furious about that. In my defense, I paid 7% of my federal salary into the CSRS. Further, I would not have become a postal employee in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment test. I would not have become an IRS employee in 1971 if Oldsmobile had not withdrawn a job offer that I had accepted because Oldsmobile had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.
https://www.investopedia.com/why-more-retirees-rely-on-pensions-than-most-people-realize-12009683

FINANCE BUZZ
— 12 Jobs Paying Over $100,000 That Are Desperately Short of Workers Right Now. DD: I did not start earning $100,059/year in today’s dollars until I was 25 in 1974 and I had a) earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21, b) worked for IRS for 3 years, and c) completed 11 graduate evening business courses. I did not start earning $118,984/year in today’s dollars until I was 38 and I had a) earned an MBA when I was 27, b) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, c) earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, e) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination and became a licensed CPA when I was 32, d) worked for IRS for almost 9 years, and e) worked for GAO for almost 7 years. I did not start earning $154,684/year in today’s dollars until I was 49 and I had a) earned four more job-related professional certifications, b) earned a master’s degree in finance, and b) worked for GAO for almost 18 years.
https://www.aol.com/articles/12-jobs-paying-over-100-115000000.html

FED SMITH
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. They use the subjectivity in their performance rating systems to not promote and to get rid of their Republican employees who are White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/07/07/new-opm-rule-changes-how-your-performance-rating-gets-decided/

MSHALE
— Trump: Government Jobs Won’t Make America Great Again. Fired federal employees now working in the private sector are “getting two or three times more money, and they’re doing well,” President Trump tells NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich during an exclusive one-on-one interview. Trump explains why government jobs are not jobs that “will make America great again.” DD: My critics/opponents despise/hate federal employees and federal retirees. I was a federal employee 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and I have been a federal retiree since 1997. My critics/opponents especially despise/hate federal employees and retirees who like me are Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://mshale.com/89f3eec1/790883edeJYlUDaZ4MQ?__cf_chl_f_tk=R.6A_kFzwfaryQtRoUqhluYYCkdHLqxY4WOS828oI0E-1783413279-1.0.1.1-OiTve12ilPo9dYjzaW_ifBW1CngxP.uH4nKaH5PjZWU

ATLANTIC
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/mamdani-affordability-crisis-consumer-socialism/687603/

POLITICO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/dsa-progressives-wisconsin-michigan-primaries-00986944

AXIOS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.axios.com/2026/07/06/democratic-socialists-medicare-for-all

SHRM
— Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat superiors in the federal government never put me on a PIP, but instead, they took many big adverse actions against me. My Democrat Post Office superiors disallowed my sick leave requests in 1968 and 1969 and b) forced me to resign in 1969. My Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me beyond GS-12. My Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, b) delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, c) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and d) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. I frustrated their efforts to get rid of me by earning a) a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, b) job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1981, and 1997, c) professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and c) a job-related professional license in 1981.
https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/inconsistent-reasons-provided-performance-plan-suggest-pretext

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

SPECTATOR
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Working for socialists is like working for Democrats. To advance under socialists, you must be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, you must be a Democrat. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who run the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service ($197,200/year) long before I was 40. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. But because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they never promoted me beyond GS-13 Step 10 ($154,682/year) and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://spectator.com/article/why-socialism-will-fail/?edition=us

BUSINESS TIMES
— Forging a career path in the non-profit sector. Many choose to work in the sector for greater flexibility, purpose in their role as life circumstances change. DD: I would not have become a postal employee in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment test. I would not have become an IRS employee in 1971 if Oldsmobile had not withdrawn a job offer that I had accepted because Oldsmobile had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My critics/opponents despise/hate federal employees and federal retirees. I was a federal employee 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and I have been a federal retiree since 1997. My critics/opponents especially despise/hate federal employees and retirees who like me are Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/forging-career-path-non-profit-sector

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.