Free Republic

CHICAGO—A veteran Illinois state senator was arrested Wednesday after allegedly trying to board a flight from Chicago to Washington with a gun and ammunition in a carry-on bag, authorities said. Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat who recently announced he would run to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in the U.S. House, was carrying an unloaded .25-caliber Beretta handgun and a magazine clip with six bullets when he tried to board a flight at O'Hare International Airport, according to Chicago police.

Sources with knowledge of the probe told the Chicago Sun-Times that investigators believe Jackson had learned of the federal scrutiny of his financial activity prior to his June 10 leave from Congress. The sources said it didn’t necessarily mean the tip was from an investigative source, saying it was possible the congressman received a tip from someone who was notified about the probe, possibly through a subpoena. While Jackson, a South Shore Democrat, eventually released information concerning his health, he did not publicly disclose he had knowledge of the federal probe until last Wednesday — the day he submitted a...

Ambitious, bright and a powerful orator, Jesse Jackson Jr. once saw himself following in the footsteps of his father and running for president.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will announce his resignation from Congress today in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Jackson's brother Jonathan Jackson said.

"Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who is battling legal troubles and mental illness, is likely to resign from Congress and face jail time under the terms of a plea deal his lawyer is negotiating with the federal government."

When former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president, Romney campaign chair John Sununu dismissed it as just a black man standing up for one of his tribe. That racial gibe fits a campaign with a yawning racial divide: Obama is struggling among white working-class men, while Romney has essentially abandoned any effort to win the votes of African Americans and Latinos. Someone should talk to the skilled, largely white, workers at Sensata Technologies Inc. about that. They work for a hugely profitable company owned by Romney’s Bain Capital. Bain is moving the jobs to China.

Report: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. releases robocall, tells supporters 'I am human'By Jonathan Easley - 10/20/12 07:07 PM ET The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) sent out an automated message to constituents in his district on Saturday, asking voters to stick by him through his recent spate of difficulties. “Like many human beings, a series of events came together in my life at the same time and they have been difficult to sort through,” Jackson says in the call. “I am human. I am doing my best. I am trying to sort through them...

He’s being treated for bipolar disorder — a mental illness that can bring depression, mania, risky behavior and delusions. He’s had a highly publicized relationship with a “social acquaintance” that rocked his marriage. His name is repeatedly linked to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Now he’s the target of a federal investigation into “suspicious activity” into his congressional finances. What does all this mean for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s political future when the Nov. 6 election is a little more than three weeks away? “He’s going to be re-elected,” political consultant Thom Serafin said. “In this particular part of the...

Talk by Jesse Trentadue on "The Trentadue Case: No Time to Mourn" given September 6, 2012 at Town Hall Seattle in Seattle, WA and sponsored by the Post-Prison Education Program.

Separately, Jackson cited “a ‘New South’ that has been created largely by the civil rights marches and then by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which President Johnson got passed through Congress in 1965.” One far-reaching effect of the Voting Rights Act, said Jackson, “is that politics have changed in the South. Jefferson Davis Democrats became Goldwater Republicans and the Lincoln Republicans became Johnson Democrats.” Both Jackson and Metcalf agreed that a winning tactic on the part of the new Democratic coalition they envision is full-scale combat with the tea party conservatives and their agenda to cut government. “45 percent...

A group of combat-tested Navy SEALs say they learned something any statehouse reporter in Minnesota could've told them: When Jesse Ventura talks, the subject is usually Jesse Ventura. But the special forces members -- some still on active duty -- are supporting a comrade's claim that during a wake for a fallen team member six years ago, the former governor popped off one too many times, prompting one of them to deck him in a California bar. After that SEAL, Chris Kyle, described the alleged incident in his memoirs about his military career as a sniper, Ventura sued him, claiming...

The Mayo Clinic said Monday that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is under treatment there for the condition. Jackson has been hospitalized at the Rochester, Minn., center and absent from Congress since June 10. He’s been suffering from massive depression and gastrointestinal issues, a likely complication from a risky weight-loss surgery known as a “duodenal switch.”

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s mother, Jacqueline Jackson, told a Rainbow/PUSH conference Friday that her son has suffered years of “enormous disappointment.” “I’m not ashamed to say ... he thought he was going to be a senator. He thought he was going to have a chance to run for mayor. And young people don’t bounce back from disappointments like me and my husband" she said. . . .

Every Thurs at 8pm Pacific, Tim Conway Jr does a great game show - What the hell did Jesse Jackson say? He plays clips of Jackson's mumbling and contestants try to guess what Jesse said.

Jesse Jackson, the president and founder of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, doubled down on a statement he made in London in December proclaiming Jesus was an “occupier,” this time tying the proclamation to the story of Easter weekend. Speaking at an Occupy Chicago rally in Grant Park on Saturday, Jackson told a crowd his interpretation of why Jesus went to the cross: “He fought for the poor because he was among the poor. He faced crucifixion as he fought occupation.” Specifically, Jackson said Jesus was killed because he confronted the money changers in the temple in Jerusalem, as told in the

Sanford officials have released a response to the reward offered for the arrest of George Zimmerman, saying, "The City of Sanford does not condone the actions and recommendations of the New Black Panther Party. The City is requesting calm heads and no vigilante justice."

A former staffer to Rev. Jesse Jackson has filed a lawsuit against Jackson and his nonprofit Rainbow PUSH Coalition, claiming he was sexually harassed and discriminated against because he is gay. ~snip~ He claims that he was instructed to do a number of “humiliating tasks,“ including ”escort women to [Jackson's] room after work hours and clean up his room after sexual intercourse with women,” arrange a massage for Jackson, and bring Jackson Cialis from his room.

When Jewish Blood Spills; We all Must Bleed By Norma Zager “There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test; total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength.” Pat Riley When the history of the Jewish people is recorded, it will point to present times as the last stop at the end of a once-great religion. Why is this moment in time so pivotal? Jews have survived pogroms, holocausts, inquisitions, crusades and all other manners of murder and intolerance. Why now should anyone worry or assume they cannot endure one more difficult challenge? The answer...

LISTEN LIVE TO "WHAT THE HELL DID JESSE JACKSON SAY?"

An estimated 700,000 Americans died in the Civil War, one of the bloodiest times in our nation’s history. It’s hard to imagine anything quite measuring up in this day and age — but Jesse Jackson can. On Thursday’s “Martin Bashir” on MSNBC, Jackson, the founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said the budget battle on the Republican side represents an effort to make the federal government “dysfunctional.” “[T]his really is a Civil War fight,” Jackson said. “This is making the federal government dysfunctional on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. These guys will support three wars. They’ll...