May 12, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Trump admin poised to accept luxury jet as gift for Trump from Qatar
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-administration-poised-accept-boeing-747-8-jumbo-jet-gift-new-air-force-qatar-royal-family-sources/16382889/

WTTW
— Pope Leo XIV Indicates He Will Closely Follow Francis
https://news.wttw.com/2025/05/10/pope-leo-xiv-indicates-he-will-closely-follow-francis-says-ai-represents-major-challenge

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— First group of 49 white South Africans leaves for the US after Donald Trump offered them refugee status
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/11/white-south-africans-trump-refugee-status/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with China against America
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/11/editorial-china-tariffs-trump-consul-general/
— Qatar says no final decision made on gifting Donald Trump a jet to use as Air Force One
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/11/qatar-says-no-final-decision-made-on-gifting-trump-a-jet-to-use-as-air-force-one/
— Who will fill Dick Durbin’s US Senate seat in Illinois? Here are the candidates. Will LaHood walk in Wheaton’s Independence Day parade this year? His father  was considering running for governor when he walked in Wheaton’s Independence Day parade in 2005. I spoke with him before that parade kicked off.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/12/dick-durbin-senate-seat-illinois-candidates/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Darin LaHood, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, 16th. While the eventual Democratic nominee is expected to have the advantage in a state where party members have held all statewide elected offices since 2019, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria has acknowledged he is considering a Senate bid. LaHood, the son of former longtime GOP congressman and Obama transportation secretary Ray LaHood, had nearly $5.9 million in his federal campaign fund as of April 1. One of only three House Republicans in Illinois’ 17-member congressional delegation, LaHood has served since 2015 in Congress and has been a strong supporter of Trump.)
— Illinois grows more soybeans than any other state. What happened to the Republican support? During the 1950s and early 1960s, I spent lots of time at my grandparents’ farm along the Indiana border in Grant Park. They grew lots of soybeans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/12/editorial-soybeans-illinois-lab-funding-gop-cuts/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/09/east-aurora-newcomer-center/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump and against everyone who voted for Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/05/11/united-states-donald-trump-robert-francis-prevost-pope-leo

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Lawmakers have just days to save Metra, Pace and CTA from massive cuts. How important is/was Metra to you? A big reason why my wife and I bought a home in Wheaton in 1978 and had one built in Wheaton in 1984 was that they were in walking distance from Metra. We both worked in the Loop.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250511/transportation/are-we-going-over-the-cliff-lawmakers-have-just-days-to-save-metra-pace-and-cta-from-massive-cuts/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Pope’s old Dolton house tells a familiar south suburban story. I lived in 1286 Wood street in Crete 1954-1972. I should write about that home. My grandparents had it built in 1926. My parents inherited it from them. My brother and I inherited it from our parents. I inherited it when my brother died. It had been regularly maintained and upgraded, but not after my father died suddenly in 1969. SEE: https://www.estately.com/listings/info/1286-wood-street-crete-il-60417
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/popes-childhood-home-tells-south-suburban-story
— Small businesses need Congress to make Trump tax cuts permanent
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/small-biz-needs-trump-tax-cuts-be-permanent-opinion
— What happens when employers have to pay a higher minimum wage. Did you work for the minimum wage? I did part-time while I was a junior and senior in high school and the summer in between 1964-1966. With the money that I earned and saved, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint (a poor man’s GAO) in May of 1966. It was red, black interior, 3-speed Hurst on the floor, and 3.55 rear end. I used it to get to/from a) jobs during the summer of 1966, b) classes at UIC 1966-1967, and c) my Park Forest Post Office job 1966-1967. I sold it and bought a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in December of 1967.  SEE: https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/elevate/higher-minimum-wage-workers-employers
— Pritzker’s EV vision faces speed bumps as key projects falter
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/editorial/ev-plans-stall-stellantis-lion-electric-pull-back-editorial

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Part of the fabric of the Midwest: Central Illinois county fairs kick off in late May. What is the status of your county’s fair?
https://www.sj-r.com/story/entertainment/2025/05/12/county-fair-season-in-illinois-starts-in-late-may-what-to-know/83133115007/

JOURNAL GAZETTE TIMES COURIER
— Overwhelmingly, nonprofits exist to promote the Democrat Party platform
https://jg-tc.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e08a4c8b-adf6-5c76-878a-3bec6e50793f.html

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more abortion
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/health-news/ap-late-abortions-are-rare-the-us-just-lost-a-clinic-that-offered-the-procedure-for-over-50-years/

NPR ILLINOIS & WGLT
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight budget cuts
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2025-05-11/what-trumps-cuts-to-federal-climate-research-could-mean-for-illinois
https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2025-05-11/what-trumps-cuts-to-federal-climate-research-could-mean-for-illinois

WQRF
— UAW: Stellantis has scrapped plans for battery plant, parts hub in Belvidere
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/uaw-stellantis-has-scrapped-plans-for-battery-plant-parts-hub-in-belvidere/ar-AA1EyTYf

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/05/12/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-510/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Why do people get involved in Republican politics? For far too many, it is to get the Republican Party to strike the personal 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 in its platform. I promote the aforesaid planks. I should write about those Republican candidates, elected officials, party leaders, activists, major donors, fundraisers, pollsters, etc. in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois a) who reject one or more of the aforesaid planks and b) who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately. I would focus on those who reject the equal opportunity plank. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Who wants you to pay more taxes? My critics/opponents have always wanted me to pay more taxes. According to them, I can and should pay more taxes a) because I avoided the Vietnam War draft, b) because I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, and c) because my wife and I gave up trying to have children. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents were wealthy and who bought them cars, paid for their colleges expenses, got them jobs, etc. I would focus on those who benefitted the most from Affirmative Action and/or DEI, that is, who benefitted the most from race and/or gender based preference giving. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— To get more votes from minorities and from women, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly give minorities and women more preference. All the minorities and women who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me a) were Democrats, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had less education than I had, d) had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or e) had no professional license like the one I had. All were younger than me, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— How did Nixon impact you? Nixon was president while I worked for the Democrats a) who ran the Post Office in 1969 and b) who ran IRS 1971-1974. They despised/hated Nixon. They blamed Nixon, and therefore Republicans, for America losing the Vietnam War. They punished me, a draft avoider, to punish Nixon. My Democrat Post Office superiors disallowed my sick leave request and forced me to resign in 1969. My Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and they made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13. They did the aforesaid even though a) I earned an MBA in 1976, b) I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and c) I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— If your critics/opponents were asked what limited your career, what would they say? Mine would stress a) that my ACT score was only 24, b) that I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class, c) that while I have four college degrees, my GPAs were not that great, none of the colleges are Ivy League, and I did not earn my master’s degrees until I was 27, 31, and 48, d) that while I passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, I did not do that until I was 30 and 32 and my scores were not that great, e) that while I became a licensed CPA, it was not until I was 32, and f) that while I earned four more professional certifications, it was not until I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. My critics/opponents ignore/dismiss/belittle the fact a) that my superiors were always under tremendous pressure from Democrat politicians to give preference to their employees who were Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or veteran, b) that I avoided the Vietnam War draft, c) that I complained about political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, and d) that I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged my superiors with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation when I was 40. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What lists are/were you on? Mine include a) Vietnam War draft avoiders, b) federal employees who never made GS-14, c) employees who complained about political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and/or age discrimination, d) lawsuit filers, and e) employees who were forced to retire early. What do you think of people who are/were on the aforesaid lists? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Anti-religious people, that is, Democrats, promote dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, prostitution, and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, and even worse things. Anti-religious people, that is, Democrats, want the Pope to promote the aforesaid. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Ever-increasingly, to be a Democrat is to be anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-non-poor people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti those who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
–138 registered Republican voters in my precinct (38% of its 361 registered Republican voters) who voted in the April 1, 2025 election. In a precinct letter that I am considering sending, I would a) thank them for voting, b) recap the April 1, 2025 election results, c) list the offices on the March 17, 2026 Republican primary ballot in our precinct, and d) stress my efforts to encourage the Milton Township Republican Organization to promote Wheaton’s and Glen Ellyn’s  July 4, 2026 Independence Day parades and to encourage Republican participation in those parades. I hope that Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Illinois statewide, Illinois senate and house, DuPage countywide, and DuPage County District 4 will all have entries. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Purple Prose from Enemies of Chicago Children: the CTU
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/05/08/purple-prose-from-enemies-of-chicago-children-the-ctu

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Republicans seek distance from Trump’s willingness to hike taxes on wealthiest Americans. Who wants you to pay more taxes? My critics/opponents have always wanted me to pay more taxes. According to them, I can and should pay more taxes a) because I avoided the Vietnam War draft, b) because I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, and c) because my wife and I gave up trying to have children. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents were wealthy and who bought them cars, paid for their colleges expenses, got them jobs, etc. I would focus on those who benefitted the most from Affirmative Action and/or DEI, that is, who benefitted the most from race and/or gender based preference giving.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/may/11/republicans-seek-distance-trumps-willingness-hike-taxes-wealthiest/
— Democrats can’t seem to give up the transgender madness
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/may/11/democrats-cant-seem-give-transgender-madness/
— Biden administration gave protected status to Afghans despite terrorism flags. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moves to end Temporary Protected Status
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/may/12/joe-bidens-dhs-gave-protected-status-afghans-despite-terrorism-flags/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Donald Trump, Pope Leo XIV and Mercy. MAGA and Catholicism aren’t at odds—mercy has borders, and a new American pope offers hope for unity between faithful patriots and the Church they call home.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/05/12/donald-trump-pope-leo-xiv-and-mercy/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Will Trump Suspend Habeas Corpus for Illegals?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/05/will_trump_suspend_habeas_corpus_for_illegals.html
— What Do Democrats Do Next?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/05/what_do_democrats_do_next.html

BLAZE
— Who can lead the Democrats out of the wilderness? Ever-increasingly, to be a Democrat is to be anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-non-poor people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti those who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/who-can-lead-the-democrats-out-of-the-wilderness

FOX NEWS
— The ‘corrupt media enterprise’ is bitter about losing to Trump
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6372683766112

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC NEWS
— The Democrat mainstream news media not only had no problem with Biden’s Executive Orders, it promoted them.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/legal-experts-habeas-corpus-stephen-miller-rcna206130

CNN
— Trump is visiting three of the world’s richest nations. Here’s what’s on their wish lists. What is on your enemies’ wish lists? My enemies want the Republican Party to strike its personal 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. I should write about my critics/opponents and the planks they want stricken. I would focus on my critics/opponents who want the equal opportunity plank stricken.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/11/middleeast/trump-visit-gulf-arab-states-saudi-uae-qatar-intl

REUTERS
— Trump plans to accept luxury 747 from Qatar to use as Air Force One
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-set-accept-luxury-747-qatar-use-air-force-one-abc-news-says-2025-05-11/

NEWSWEEK
— Trump Will Get To Keep Qatar Jet Even After He Leaves Office
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-qatar-plane-air-force-one-2070761
— Trump Responds to Qatar Plane Backlash: ‘World Class Losers’
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-responds-qatar-plane-backlash-2070758

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight budget cuts.
https://apnews.com/article/usaid-family-generations-trump-memorial-651841d216202f1a8fa25476dab799fc

NEW YORK TIMES
— In Illinois Senate Race, Old Grudges and a Test of Pritzker’s Power. Few policy differences have emerged among the Democrats vying to replace the retiring Senator Richard J. Durbin, while Gov. JB Pritzker’s influence looms large.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/illinois-senate-race-durbin-pritzker.html
— Trump Is Said to Be Getting Qatari 747 for Air Force One, and Post-Presidency Travel
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05/11/us/trump-news
— Google ever-increasingly steers everyone a) to websites that promote liberal leaders, that is, Democrat leaders, and the Democrat Party platform and b) away from websites that promote conservative leaders, that is, Republican leaders, and the Republican Party platform.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/technology/google-chrome-monopoly-remedies.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Qatar’s gift to Trump reveals a loophole big enough to fly a jumbo jet through. A $400 million present shows how presidential libraries remain a blind spot in U.S. corruption law.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/11/qatar-jumbo-jet-gift-loophole/

USA TODAY
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly destroy those who do not promote LGBTQ. I do not promote LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/05/12/supreme-court-trump-transgender-military-ban/83499410007/
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat leaders will ever-increasing use the Pope to get rid of those who do not promote LGBTQ. I do not promote LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/10/pope-leo-xiv-lgbtq-issues-advocates-hopeful/83413859007/

PALM BEACH POST
— Pope Leo XIV and Trump graduated from colleges less than 20 miles away from each other. Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from America, graduated from Villanova University, mere miles from the Wharton School of Business, Trump’s alma mater.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/trump/2025/05/12/pope-leo-chicago-trump-graduate-villanova-theological-union/83573642007/

DES MOINES REGISTER
— To get more votes from women, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly give women more preference. All the women who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me a) were Democrats, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had less education than I had, d) had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or e) had no professional license like the one I had. All were minority, younger than me, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time..
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2025/05/11/pete-hegseth-wps-woke-divisive-military-safety-leadership/83502722007/

TENNESSEE OUTLOOK
— What lists are/were you on? Mine include a) Vietnam War draft avoiders, b) federal employees who never made GS-14, c) employees who complained about political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and/or age discrimination, d) lawsuit filers, and e) employees who were forced to retire early. What do you think of people who are/were on the aforesaid lists?
https://tennesseelookout.com/2025/05/12/trumps-massive-deportation-database-puts-students-at-risk-advocates-warn/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The GAO Tries to Save a Bad Biden Rule. It bows to Democrats and ignores its own clear precedent. GAO is run by Democrats. When I was 31 years old in 1980, I was one of the last Republicans GAO hired. They gambled and lost that I would become a Democrat. They did everything that they could to waste my career and to get rid of me. They forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS. They delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13. They kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for them. They always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes. They forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-gao-tries-to-save-a-bad-biden-rule-california-emissions-regulations-waivers-2b0434ca

WALLET HUB
— Best & Worst Places to Start a Career. The more of the following that you are, the more that Illinois is the worse state to start a career in: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-to-start-a-career/3626

CEO TODAY
— Qatar’s $400M Jet Gift to Trump Sparks Outrage: Is This the New Air Force One?  Reports suggest that Qatar may be gifting former U.S. President Donald Trump a $400 million luxury jet—raising serious questions about ethics, influence, and international diplomacy. As both critics and allies react with suspicion, the gesture could mark a new chapter in the blurred lines between politics, power, and foreign interests.
https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2025/05/qatars-400m-jet-gift-to-trump-sparks-outrage-is-this-the-new-air-force-one/

NPR
— Trump is looking to use the IRS for his own political ends. Nixon tried it, too. Nixon was president while I worked for the Democrats a) who ran the Post Office in 1969 and b) who ran IRS 1971-1974. They despised/hated Nixon. They blamed Nixon for America’s losing the Vietnam War. They punished me, a draft avoider, to punish Nixon. My Democrat Post Office superiors disallowed my sick leave request and forced me to resign in 1969. My Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and they made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13. They did the aforesaid even though a) I earned an MBA in 1976, b) I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and c) I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980.
https://www.kosu.org/politics/2025-05-12/trump-is-looking-to-use-the-irs-for-his-own-political-ends-nixon-tried-it-too

ATLANTIC
— Anti-religious people, that is, Democrats, promote dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, prostitution, and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, and even worse things. Anti-religious people, that is, Democrats, want the Pope to promote the aforesaid.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/anti-christian-bias-task-force/682755/

ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.epi.org/blog/trump-attacks-on-temporary-immigration-protections-like-tps-hurt-the-economy-and-strip-millions-of-their-workplace-rights/

ECONOMIC TIMES
— Gold walls, opulent furnishings: All about $400m ‘flying palace’ from Qatar
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-trump-qatari-jet-gold-walls-opulent-furnishings-all-about-400m-flying-palace-from-qatar-which-trump-will-use-as-air-force-one/articleshow/121103068.cms

GUARDIAN
— US presidential gifts and the rules governing them. Reports that Donald Trump’s administration is planning to accept a jet valued at $400m from Qatar have raised ethical questions over gifts from foreign leaders. I should write about the gifts that my critics/opponents have given their operatives and their dupes.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/12/us-presidential-foreign-gifts-laws-rules-ntwnfb

SABC NEWS
— 50 white South Africans relocated to the US as refugees. They should be advised that the next Democrat or RINO U.S. President will send them back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85I6rwxIzoc

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.