Free Republic

Remember Antoin "Tony" Rezko? I'm sure Governor Rod Blagojevich recalls who he is. Maybe even Barack Obama. Well, unless you live in Chicago, or keep an eye on the Chi-town Tribune, you probably have not heard in the national Main Stream Media that Rezko is singing his big head off to the Feds. YEP! According to the Trib, Rezko, who is scheduled for his sentencing appearance on October 28th, is quite the chatty-catty now. The IceMan who said nadda-word for these many months is makin' like a canary. Why? Well, the courts keep turning down his appeals for mistrials and...

CHICAGO, (AP) -- The government's star witness at the fraud trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko testified Monday that Sen. Barack Obama and his wife attended a party four years ago at the home of the indicted political fundraiser. Stuart Levine said the party took place in April 2004 and was held to honor Iraqi-born Nadhmi Auchi, a London-based billionaire who was visiting the United States at the time. Rezko, 52, was a major fundraiser for Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and the trial has been closely watched because of Obama's presidential campaign. But very little has been said about the...

If it is indeed true, as George Bernard Shaw commented, that democracy ensures we get the government we deserve, then I have little sympathy for my neighbors who whine about the smoking ban as they puff their Camel filters in the parking lot outside the bowling alley in the freezing February rain. Besides -- I like to point out -- we voted for the shysters and party hacks who passed the ban. Or -- more likely -- we failed to vote at all. I then call attention to the fact that right next door in Missouri, where the Republican Party...

Gov tells manufactured home owners to take a hike May 10, 2006 BY CAROL MARIN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Gov. Blagojevich quickly used his veto this week to nix the most benign of bills. You have to wonder why. This is nothing less than a David and Goliath story. Little guys vs. the big boys. And so far, let me tell you, the little guys are losing big-time. This all centers on what are called manufactured-home communities, something we used to call trailer parks back when those dwellings were truly mobile. They are not anymore. Manufactured homes are simply more affordable than...

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was thrust back into the spotlight Wednesday, when a Nation of Islam activist claimed the governor knew about her affiliation to Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader known for his attacks on Jews, gays and other groups, before appointing her to the state's hate crimes commission earlier this year. Sister Claudette Muhammad, blasted Blagojevich for saying he did not know her or realize she was an official in the Nation of Islam before appointing her to the anti-discrimination panel. "You and I spoke. We took pictures. ... I have written to you numerous times, all...

Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate said in the Democrats' weekly radio address Saturday that "honest leadership will help all Americans." He also said there is "a culture of corruption that is preventing government from dealing with the real needs of our nation." Durbin was directly referring to the Republican Party, which has controlled the legislative branch of the federal government since 2003, and the executive branch since 2001. Of more recent vintage is the Jack Abramoff Scandal: The crooked ex-lobbyist had ties to both parties, but his GOP connections were more extensive, and for Republican politicians on...

CHICAGO, Nov. 15 - Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed a measure on Tuesday intended to allow all children in Illinois, including those in working-class and middle-class families, to obtain health insurance. National experts on health care said the new law, which will offer discounts on premiums for those who qualify, was the broadest plan to insure children by any state. Political leaders in other states, the experts said, are certain to be watching whether Illinois succeeds in expanding coverage to its 250,000 children who are now uninsured, about half of whom are not from the poorest families but from families...

CHICAGO, Oct. 5 -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will unveil a proposal Thursday to subsidize health insurance for 253,000 uninsured children in Illinois, a move that specialists describe as more far-reaching than any other program in the country. Seventy-percent of the state's uninsured children belong to families that earn $40,000 to $80,000 a year -- too much to qualify for government programs but often too little to afford private insurance. Under Blagojevich's All Kids proposal, endorsed by the leaders of both houses of the state legislature, a family of four earning $40,000 to $59,000 would pay $40 per month per...

CHICAGO (CBS 2) CBS 2 News has learned that former Illinois governor Jim Edgar is being urged to consider a run for his old office. The pleas are coming from here in Illinois, as well as from Washington. He served two terms as governor; leaving Illinois in solid financial shape when he stepped down in 1999. He retired after 30 years in state politics, to the life of a college lecturer, corporate director and consultant. But he is now, for the third time in two years, being urged to get back into politics. Republican State Chairman Andy McKenna, Jr. said,...

45% in poll don't want to see him re-elected in '06Winds of change may have put Rod Blagojevich in the governor's office, but a steady buffeting of allegations over mismanagement and "pay to play" politics have soured a growing number of Illinois voters on the first-term Democrat, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows. Blagojevich has generally enjoyed healthy approval ratings since taking office two years ago, but the survey found more voters now say they disapprove of the way he is doing his job than say they like it. Perhaps even more troubling for Blagojevich, only one-third of voters say they...

GOP state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka is preparing to run for governor -- raising money, polling and reaching out to key state and national Republicans. If all goes as planned, Topinka, elected three times as state treasurer and a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, is expected to announce a bid to topple Gov. Blagojevich when the legislative session ends, sometime in late spring or early summer. Last week in Washington, Nancy Kimme, Topinka's chief of staff who doubles as her top political adviser, met with Michael Stokke, the deputy chief of staff for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert...

Gov. Rod Blagojevich denied Thursday that he's breaking a campaign pledge to devote 51 percent of new state revenue to education because he says he never made such a pledge in the first place. But Blagojevich's own 2002 campaign education plan specifically spelled out such a pledge, stating he would "commit 51 percent of new revenues to the classroom every year (and codify that pledge into law)." When asked about the pledge while meeting with the Daily Herald editorial board, Blagojevich said, "The word 'pledge' conjures up to me, you know, did you sign a pledge, did you promise to...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. Rod Blagojevich refused to stop accepting political contributions from state contractors, but said Wednesday that he supports a review of Illinois campaign finance laws. Blagojevich frequently accepts large campaign donations from people who receive state contracts. After Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced last week that he would no longer accept contributions from people doing business with the city, the governor's critics began calling for him to take a similar pledge. Blagojevich rejected the idea during a news conference following his budget address Wednesday. ``We'll continue to follow all the rules,'' Blagojevich said. ``The rules should apply...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration has asked a California insurance company to stop using a picture of his family in a company newsletter after it drew criticism from state Republicans and campaign reformers. Woodland Hills, Calif.-based 21st Century Insurance Co.'s newsletter features a photo of Blagojevich, his wife and a child with a company official. It touts the company's work with needy children and bears the governor's name and Illinois' seal next to the firm's logo and the phrase ``Good People to Call.'' It was mailed along with brochures and other solicitation materials. State Republicans assailed Blagojevich's image...

CHICAGO (CBS 2) Mayor Daley Thursday signed a historic executive order prohibiting city contractors from giving him any more campaign cash. And now Gov. Blagojevich is feeling the heat on the same issue after a potential candidate for governor issues an ethics challenge. DuPage County Republican Joe Birkett is calling on the governor to follow the mayor's lead. Birkett is accusing Blagojevich of collecting millions of dollars in campaign contributions from those who do business with the State of Illinois. The mayor said why he signed the ban on contractor contributions. “I want to make it clear that there is...

SPRINGFIELD — Rod Blagojevich's two years as governor have been a series of crusades. He rode to war against lawmakers he accused of spending "like drunken sailors." He challenged the "Soviet-style" bureaucracy at the State Board of Education. He battled government corruption, expensive prescription drugs, even violent video games. Scorning the idea of quietly building consensus, Blagojevich prefers to launch his crusades with maximum publicity — news conferences, rallies, executive orders, statewide tours. Springfield insiders can't block change if the public is demanding action, he says. The approach has helped him limit government spending while still providing more money for...

The family feud between Governor Blagojevich and his father-in-law, Alderman Dick Mell, could end up in court. The governor and his chief fundraiser are fighting back against allegations by Mell that state appointments were handed out in exchange for contributions to the governor's campaign. The governor is trying to keep a dark cloud of scandal and corruption from drenching his carefully-crafted reform image by putting the squeeze on his father-in-law even though it is likely to exacerbate a family feud that is already a 10 on the nasty scale. In the latest development, Blagojevich's chief fundraiser threatening to sue Mell...

January 13, 2005 — There are new charges of political favoritism against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the Illinois State Police. Official complaints were lodged by some state police officers in the wake of the I-Teams "Changing of the Guards" reports the past few months. Dozens of Illinois State Police officers are alleging that Governor Rod Blagojevich put politics ahead of police protection. Two former top officials of the governor's bodyguard unit filed discrimination complaints for what they say happened when Blagojevich came into office. "I was part of the housecleaning for an incoming Democratic administration and we were part...

January 13, 2005 — The Blagojevich family feud is still alive and today the governor is on the attack. He says allegations of impropriety -- made by his father-in-law -- Chicago Alderman Dick Mell -- are reckless and untrue. Several investigations are now underway as a result of the family feud that erupted last week when the governor closed a landfill run by relatives, including Mell. It escalated when Mell accused the governor's chief fundraiser of selling appointments for campaign cash. That sparked several investigations, which the governor says will give him a clean bill of health. He also says...

CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked his inspector general Wednesday to investigate accusations by his father-in-law that the governor's administration traded appointments in exchange for campaign contributions. The father-in-law, influential Chicago Alderman Richard Mell, last week claimed an adviser to the governor had arranged for people to be appointed to state boards and commissions in exchange for $50,000 in contributions to the governor's campaign fund. In an interview with The Associated Press, the Democratic governor angrily denied Mell's accusations of misconduct and manipulation and called them "reckless and defamatory." He said his inspector general should look into the issue so...

Choking back tears, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) today declared a public end to the messy feud with his son-in-law, Gov. Blagojevich, in hopes of repairing a first family torn apart. Mell insisted he had every right to take a stand against what he viewed as the governor's attempt to smear him and close a Will County landfill operated by Frank Schmidt, a distant relative of Mell and first lady Patti Blagojevich who was being advised by the alderman. But that doesn't mean the aldermen doesn't regret some of the bitter charges he made against the governor and the effect the...

January 7, 2005 — Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich shut down a landfill in Joliet run by a distant relative. The move ignited a family feud between the governor and his father-in-law, Chicago Alderman Dick Mell. The governor would not discuss the dispute, but Alderman Mell had plenty to say, calling the governor's decision a "political power play." Alderman Dick Mell is not only the governor's father-in-law, he is the architect of Rod Blagojevich's political career. The powerful democratic ward boss's money, manpower and muscle carried Blagojevich from City Hall to the state legislature to Congress and finally to the governor's...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) The Blagojevich administration Wednesday defended its decision to stop distributing flavored and colored condoms that health activists consider helpful in fighting AIDS, even as dozens of people rallied at the Capitol to remember victims of the disease. At the Capitol and other state buildings, lights were dimmed to mark World AIDS Day. Blagojevich called it ``a time to reaffirm our commitment to promoting HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention.'' But some health workers said they were disappointed that Blagojevich had ordered the Illinois Department of Public Health not to buy any more condoms in bright colors or flavors...

November 23, 2004 — Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks publicly for the first time about allegations that he uses his security detail as chauffeurs. ABC 7 first questioned the practice in an exclusive investigation called the changing of the guards. Is the practice a waste of taxpayer money? That's what some critics claim -- saying three dozen state police officers assigned to his bodyguard detail have become glorified chauffeurs and personal valets. Governor Rod Blagojevich tried to dig out of the controversy that has dirtied up his bodyguard detail. The governor spoke out after today's ground breaking for a new I-355...

Who won, lost in budget game July 31, 2004 BY THOMAS ROESER When the spring legislative session dawned, Big Daddy decided he would have to take The Kid in hand (ahem). It was only right: House Speaker Michael Madigan had served in the General Assembly since 1971, the governor (The Kid) had a few years of legislative service under his belt, sitting on the remotest back bench in Madigan's caucus. Also, all other legislative leaders were new or untried: Tom Cross, in his first term as GOP House leader; Democrat Emil Jones had never been Senate president; Frank Watson was...

Daley to Blagojevich: Reform school funding June 30, 2004 ASSOCIATED PRESS Mayor Richard Daley called on the governor Wednesday to start reforming the state's education funding system this year, saying its reliance on property taxes is taking too great a toll on homeowners. Property tax assessments have skyrocketed in several areas of the state, rising 30 percent or more this year in parts of Chicago. "Reforming the assessment system is only half the battle," Daley said. "Illinois relies far too much on property taxes to fund education and far too little on state sources of revenue." He urged Gov. Rod...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the highest-ranking Democrat in state government, defended voting Republican in the 1980 and 1984 presidential races, saying Ronald Reagan was the best person to handle the nation's foreign affairs. ``I didn't agree with a lot of his positions on domestic policy,'' Blagojevich said Friday. ``I agreed very strongly on his foreign policy. I thought a strong foreign policy against the Soviet Union was exactly the way to go, that you should deal from strength against tyranny.'' Reagan, who died last week at 93, succeeded at courting votes across party lines. The term ``Reagan Democrats''...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich is threatening to lay off 5,000 workers if he doesn't get his way on the state budget, but he has added nearly 1,900 people to the state payroll in the past five months, state records show. Despite the governor's own hiring freeze on all but critical positions, his administration has hired a Spanish liaison for the Lottery, three people earning a combined $218,000 to improve "procurement efficiency" for the state's purchasing agency, and 29 people in the governor's own office. At least 53 percent of the new hires have been prison guards, welfare...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Politicians may flip-flop on some issues, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich insisted Thursday that he has never wavered in his loyalty to the Chicago Cubs. Risking a backlash from die-hard fans of other teams, Blagojevich rejected suggestions that he has sometimes flirted with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. ``Let me be clear: I am unabashedly a Cubs fan,'' Blagojevich said. ``I love the Cubs. When they play the Cardinals, I'm for the Cubs. When the Cubs play the White Sox, I'm for the Cubs.'' Blagojevich said he was simply being polite when he wore a...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. Rod Blagojevich missed the Illinois Governor's Prayer Breakfast this week the first time in the event's 42-year history a governor hasn't shown up. Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the governor's office told organizers on Monday that he would not be able to attend Tuesday's breakfast. Rausch said the governor, who flew from Chicago to Springfield on Tuesday morning, was in budget meetings on Tuesday. Later in the day, Blagojevich said he had been working on articulating his opposition to a proposed casino in Chicago, which he announced Tuesday afternoon. Organizers were disappointed that the governor did...

McCormick Place is called the nation's largest convention center, but reputed Outfit guys, ex-cons and criminals have another name for it: A haven. The kind of guys who populate a prison yard have been getting work at McCormick Place for decades, especially through the small but politically powerful riggers union that sets up some of Chicago's biggest trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show. There's a man working there who has ties to reputed organized crime figures and who helped run a heroin ring while locked up in Leavenworth. There's also a mobster's son, a convicted felon, who beat a...

Anthony Mertz had been on death row 411 days when the typed, brief postcard landed in the Rolling Meadows mailbox of his murder victim's family. Stamped with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's signature, it was the response -- though not at all the one Cindy McNamara wanted -- to a letter she wrote the governor April 5, rehashing the pain of her daughter's slaying and urging him to lift the moratorium on executions. She'd hoped for a personal response. Maybe a phone call. Instead, the card simply told her the letter had been received, thanked her for expressing her concerns and noted...

Vote fraud felon Dominic Longo has landed on a new government payroll -- the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District -- just a week after he took early retirement from the Chicago Park District. Gov. Blagojevich's office denies a claim it got Longo the job. Longo has worked on campaigns for Blagojevich; the governor's father-in-law, Ald. Dick Mell (33rd); Mayor Daley, and others. Jim Ryan made Longo an issue when he ran against Blagojevich. "We know that [Blagojevich] and Mell used convicted criminals to get their political work done -- like Dominic Longo, convicted of federal vote fraud for stuffing ballot boxes,"...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) The agency that certifies the University of Illinois plans to send a team to Urbana-Champaign later this month to examine how the school is dealing with the divided opinions surrounding its Chief Illiniwek athletic symbol. The visit by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission is a follow-up to its 1999 accreditation review of the university. That review found that UI easily met accreditation standards, but the commission was concerned about the school's response to the Illiniwek controversy. Chief Illiniwek has divided the campus for years. Supporters argue the mascot, a student who dresses in buckskins and...

CHICAGO (AP) A federal judge assigned to hear fraud charges against the husband of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said Thursday he may have a potential conflict of interest and left open the possibility that had could turn the case over to another judge. The judge's announcement came as Robert Creamer appeared for arraignment and pleaded innocent to charges alleging he operated check kiting schemes that led to bank fraud totaling at least $2.3 million. Judge James B. Moran said he believes he may have met Creamer, a prominent Chicago political consultant, although he could not recall where or when. But...

CHICAGO (AP) The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday one way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to renew the federal ban on assault weapons. ``A shot rang out from a high-powered rifle and Father King was killed,'' Jackson said during a vigil and rally in downtown Chicago. The federal ban on manufacturing and importing at least 19 types of military-style assault weapons expires Sept. 13. Congress must renew it and President Bush must sign it if it is to remain in effect. Jackson and several gun violence victims used the 36th anniversary of King's assassination...

SPRINGFIELD - Rod Blagojevich launched his campaign for governor in 2001 by bashing Republican leaders for not taking action on gas prices that were hovering near $2 a gallon. Blagojevich, then a Congressman from Chicago's North Side seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, accused Gov. George Ryan and Attorney General Jim Ryan of "sitting idly by" while oil companies profited. Yet more than a year into the governor's office, Blagojevich is still deciding how to address the issue even as prices again approach $2 and the cost of gasoline has taken center stage on the national political debate. The lack...

As same-sex marriages continue to be performed in the other parts of the country, Chicago activists plan to push the issue here. Alderman Dick Mell's daughter, Deborah Mell, was arrested on Thursday during a midday protest. She is also Governor Rod Blagojevich's sister-in-law. Mell, a lesbian, wants equal rights for same-sex couples. "I just feel like I want to do what I can, you know, and since I have this powerful family, we can talk about it and bring it out more," said Deborah Mell. "Because I feel that that is a way to publicize this whole situation." Mayor Richard...

March 4, 2004 — Hundreds of gay rights activists crowded the Cook County Building and blocked a street in the Loop to show their support for same-sex marriages. The county clerk denied marriage certificates to several gay couples but did thank them for their efforts to bring about change in the system. The gay rights activists-organized by Equal Marriage Now-- protested outside the building, where several couples asked for marriage certificates. Many couple said they wanted to get married in the city where they live. Others just wanted the right to get married. "We have to stand up and fight...

GOP TAUGHT A LESSON THEY WILL NOT SOON FORGET - NOW DEMOCRATS WILL TEACH US A LESSONBy John Birch, President, Concealed Carry, Inc., PO BOX 4597, Oak Brook, IL 60523, Tel: 630 660-3935 Fax: 815 327-1152 Email: john@concealcarry.orgAfter years of taking everyone for granted, especially gun owners, the GOP finally had their head handed back to them on a platter. They are finished, washed up, forgotten at least until 2006.TO JIM RYAN: You betrayed us and deservedly lost. If you wish to atone you should render a favorable legal opinion on "fanny pack" carry before you are replaced by Lisa...

Let's put Republican Jim Ryan back on top! Here is the question: Who do you think won the gubernatorial debate? Rod Blagojevich 51.9% (802 responses) Attorney General Jim Ryan 48.1% (742 responses) 1544 total responses

<p>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rod Blagojevich said Monday he smoked marijuana twice when he was college-aged but was so inept at it he does not know if he inhaled.</p> <p>"I did it twice, and I'm a nonsmoker," Blagojevich said at a news conference. "I don't like it; I run. So I don't know if I inhaled or not."</p>

The scandal that cut short Gov. George Ryan's political career looms heavily over a wide-open race to succeed him, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows. The survey shows Democrat Rod Blagojevich and Republican Jim Ryan locked in a neck-and-neck battle, with more than 9 in 10 voters saying the issue of government corruption will be an important factor to weigh in deciding between the two in the Nov. 5 general election. The poll results also indicated some confusion among voters between Jim Ryan and George Ryan, who share the same surname but are not related. In a close race, that means...

Electronic Commerce Crime Prevention and Protection Act (Introduced in the House) GPO's .pdf version of this BILL References to this bill in the Congressional Record Link to the Bill Summary & Status file HR 4101 IH107th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 4101 To amend title 18, United States Code, to require firearms, ammunition, and explosives purchases to be made in person and to require records to be kept of the means by which the purchases are made. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESAPRIL 9, 2002 Mr. CROWLEY (for himself, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. MORAN of Virginia,...