Illinois Review

Moving Forward: Striking a Winning Pose

By Sam Pierce -

Now that the "most important election in our lifetime" has passed, it is the natural time to reflect on the outcome and hear the expert advice on what must be done if members of the Republican Party seek to delight in future electoral success. Now is the time to determine how to wake up on the morning after the next election and find ourselves on the winning side as opposed to clinging to those nuisances that hinder the possibilities for success at the ballot box. It is time to "evolve" and align with people, positions, and ideals that are the most popular. Now is not the time time to be concerned with being "right," especially at the expense of, to quote noted philosopher Charlie Sheen, "winning!"

I will not claim to have cornered the insight market as it pertains to the disastrous election of 2012. I cannot explain, with absolute certainty, the factors contributing to the tragedy of last Tuesday. We must, however, pay close attention to those who are blessed with political omniscience and disregard just how wrong they may have been in predicting electoral outcomes. We must look at what wins in modern America.

A Sign of the Moronic Times

By Sam Pierce - 

My wife and I were out with our youngest Sunday afternoon in Clay County, and she said with a laugh, "I've got to show you this sign." We drove to the spot near the intersection of Highways 45 & 50 and shared a chuckle. I felt compelled to get a picture so I could share the stupidity. As funny as the sign and the thought that some dolt put considerable effort into stenciling this work of liberal art is, it does illustrate reason for concern.

“When I saw her I marveled greatly…”

By Cranky Housewife -

I'll admit it. I have scoffed in the past about this whole "War on Women" rhetoric as a blatant attempt to portray conservative values as oppressive, regressive and not particularly well educated…which is such sophistry – I just can't stand it, but that's because I was looking at this whole thing from the wrong perspective. I'm telling you with complete and utter sincerity. I was wrong.

There is, in absolute truth, a "War on Women" that has been ignited throughout the nation. Having now witnessed for myself the great "First Time" political ad brought to you by Obama for America and featuring the young Lena Dunham as the deflowered voter who seeks to lead other young women into a life of putrefying liberalism…

IL Pro-Life groups endorse for 2012

SPRINGFIELD - State legislative candidates have been surveyed and rated by Illinois Citizens for Life and Springfield lobbyist Ralph Rivera with respect to life issues such as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and related issues.  The guide says the group came to their conclusions through surveys, public statements, and/or voting records.   Both Democrats and Republicans are endorsed, and some recommendations on county offices and judges are included.

The Citizens for Life 2012 candidate voters' guide on prolife issues is available online HERE.

A second pro-life group, Illinois Federation for Right to Life, also lists both Democrats and Republicans on their 2012 endorsement list. In districts where two prolife candidates are running, the IFRL normally endorses the incumbent.

The IFRL's endorsement list for 2012 is available online HERE.

Tammy Duckworth, Forfeiting the Benefit of the Doubt

By John F. Di Leo - 

Once a person serves his country in the military, particularly in combat, that person rightly earns the respect and appreciation of a grateful nation.  When we see military personnel in uniform – at church, at the airport, at the mall – we thank them for their service in person.  We write letters to the editor, we donate to veterans’ groups, we call our legislators on behalf of their issues. 

The American people love and respect our servicemen, not only while they serve, but forever after, particularly those who bear the scars of war for life, carrying the wounds of bullet, blade, or shrapnel with them.  We honor these heroes, and it takes a great deal for decent Americans to be willing to reevaluate that esteem.

But sometimes it must be done.

Walsh's "life of the mother" conundrum

Congressman Joe Walsh may have gotten himself into some hot water with the pro-abortion crowd during Thursday night's WTTW debate with Tammy Duckworth. When queried about situations where abortion should be allowed, Walsh opined that "the life of the mother" exception is a difficult one to define. Needless to say, the comments were seized upon by the Democrats who have been whipping up a firestorm about them. So much so, that Walsh is holding a press conference in Elk Grove Village at 2:30 PM today to address the topic.

Walsh is right that the "health of a mother" includes her psychological state, her familial status as well as her physical condition. He's right that the health of the mother is used vaguely sometimes as a reason to provide for abortions for any reason. The "life of the mother" is even more controversial and serious. When women early in their pregnancies discover their babies haven't moved out of their fallopian tubes and into the necessary uterine environment for growth and nutrition, doctors will perform surgeries to remove the baby, which has no chance whatsoever of survival. If the ectopic pregnancy isn't ended with surgery, the mother's life is seriously threatened, in addition to the baby's.

Walsh is also correct that medical technology has decreased the situations wherein a doctor must choose between the life of a mother and her baby. The instances are indeed rare when one or the other's lives are at stake. However, ectopic pregnancies, while rare, provide situations where a decision to lose one life or two must be made. The Congressman seemed to be conveying the value he places on life and therefore why every attempt should be made to protect all human lives. 

Given this, Walsh's passion and questions are understandable. The extreme position would seem to be Duckworth, who sees absolutely no situation in which society should limit the aborting of human life. The voters of the 8th CD will need to decide which view of life represents theirs.

Former Lt. Gov. Wood donates to Personal PAC; PP backs 6 GOPers

CHICAGO - During the last few weeks prior to the election, abortion rights supporters are writing checks to Illinois' pro-abortion political action committee Personal PAC. One notable check this week for $1000 is from former Republican Lieutenant Governor and 2002 gubernatorial primary candidate Corinne Wood.

Personal PAC has raised over $234,000 since June and reported close to $1 million on hand September 30.

A November 2010 Rich Miller column in the Illinois Times pointed to Personal PAC as a key reason why Bill Brady narrowly lost the governorship in 2008. Miller said a Brady campaign staffer credited Personal PAC for GOP Mark Kirk's U.S. Senate win and Brady's loss. Personal PAC's executive director Terry Cosgrove (pictured right) said their group's mailers to the North Shore successfully turned women and their husbands against Brady. 

Pot Heads and Hypocrites for Gary Johnson

By Sam Pierce -

Like…. Gary Johnson is the man, ya know? I mean he … he gets what really … like matters. Ahhhh- Haaaa-Haaaa. We need to stand up for rights, man… else the man will lock us all up, ya know? All our country’s problems would be… like “Up In Smoke” aaaaaah, aaaaah, get it? If we could just get Gary in … the election, ya know? Man, am I the only one who is like… hungry?

Ah, Libertarians, champions of societal drain and degradation. Gary Johnson is taking his shot at election spoiler and keeping the hopes of pot heads … high. Pot heads want to come “out of the shadows” (perhaps the same shadows as the illegal aliens?) and be able to engage in legal commerce with the dealer of their choice. It is freedom, man. Oh, and we need to legalize it so we can tax and regulate it!

Paprocki: Think and pray about your vote in the upcoming election

By Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki -

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Much attention was given at the Democratic National Convention held recently in Charlotte, N.C., to the fact that all references to God had been purged from the draft version of the party platform. After outcries of protest from outside as well as within the Democratic Party, the sentence with the same reference to God used in 2008 was restored to read, "We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."

Before anyone relaxes and concludes that all is well now that the Democratic Party Platform contains a single passing reference to God, the way that this was done should give us pause. Convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa had to call for the voice vote three times because each time the sound level for the "ayes" and the "nays" sounded about even, far short of the two-thirds necessary according to convention rules to amend the platform. That did not stop the convention chairman from declaring, "The ayes have it!"

Obama, the Reluctant President and the Women Who Control Him

By Teri O'Brien -

Next week, Barack Obama and his merry band of mendacious Marxists will convene in Charlotte, North Carolina to try to convince the voters that Mitt Romney is actually running against Bill Clinton, and that the last 4 years were just a bad dream. Unfortunately for them, most Americans realize that unless we rid the Oval Office of the scourge that is the Obama presidency, our country will be less Bobby Ewing and more Marion Crane. After the inevitable parade of pro-abortion nuns, victims of the all-powerful murderous Mitt, and representatives of various mascot groups, how will the One defend his record of failure? I suspect that they won’t be bringing the styrofoam Greek columns this time. 

 No doubt Barack Obama will be praised to the heavens next week, if not as one who can heal the rise of the oceans, certainly as a strong decisive leader. Our special guest, author and investigative journalist Richard Miniter will return to the show to to assert that the reality is the precisely the opposite; that is, Barack Obama is a moody, indecisive man, led around by the nose by Valerie Jarrett, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. That’s the subject of his new book, Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him.

O'Brien: Obama's Reddit AMA Didn't Include My Questions

By Teri O'Brien - 

From the Washington Post:

If you haven’t heard, President Obama was on reddit Wednesday doing an AMA, or “Ask Me Anything.” He is the first sitting president to participate in the site’s popular feature. News of the president’s participation spread quickly, and the site became unavailable temporarily because of the load.

Mmm …"Ask Me Anything." What would you ask? Perhaps one of the following questions:

Is it true that you have spent millions of dollars to keep your passport and college records sealed, and if so, why?

Have you seen Dinesh D'Souza's movie "2016," and if so, what do you think of it?

Illinois delegate makes splash on RNC Platform committee

TAMPA - One of Illinois' RNC delegates - Sharee Langenstein from the 12th CD - was featured Wednesday in her hometown newspaper because of the notable work she's been doing on the RNC platform committee.  And, IR has learned, she's writing language offering compromises on other procedural issues being debated about delegate selection.

Langenstein was elected as a Santorum delegate, but is now wholeheartedly supporting Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for President and Vice President. She is a Murphysboro attorney that specializes in adoption and serves as Eagle Forum's national chairman on religious freedom issues. She also advises Illinois Homeschool PAC.  She's married, with six daughters.  

Illinois Review wrote about some of Langenstein's nationally-recognized efforts on the RNC platform committee last week, and The Southern picked up more today ...

Former abortion providers to share pro-life hope at "Converted" conference

ROSEMONT - Seven abortion providers who've become pro-life activists will be speaking at the Pro-Life Action League's September 22 conference to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois.

At the conference, "CONVERTED: From Abortion Provider to Pro-Life Activist," former Planned Parenthood clinic staffers Abby Johnson, Sue Thayer, Catherine Adair and Linda Youri will share their experiences and change of heart, along with three former abortionists.

The cost for the all-day conference is $50. For more information, go to Pro-Life Action League's website.

Legal and moral are not synonyms

By The Cranky Housewife -

Whether Todd Akin is a suitable Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in face of his inexcusable blunder on how babies come into the world is a decision that the people of Missouri will have to make on their own I suppose. Far be it from anyone in the State of Illinois to dictate candidacy standards to the rest of the nation. It's not like we're some shining beacon on the hill in that regard.

Still, Akin's less than stellar understanding of the female reproductive system? I'm telling you, it's like something out of a 1950s biology textbook; I'd like to vet him on his knowledge of pregnancy via toilet seats since we're on the subject of old wives tales, but even if he's not an appropriate option for Congress, there may still be some wiggle room as a VP choice if he'd be willing to switch parties, so he does have that going for him.

For Akin's sake, that might be his wisest course of action. Ignorance frequently comes off as sacramental rites of passage when you have a 'D' after your name. There's no escaping the immutable truth… the big 'R' that follows the names of Republican candidates comes with a level of accountability that not everyone can hold themselves to, and as much as the conservative media wants to circle the wagons on this mess and defend the indefensible, I prefer being in a party that has at least some understanding of culpability. Of course, that's just me. Winning is nice but being right is usually better.

Liberals Assault the English Language, Then Cry Rape

By Teri O'Brien -

Among the many adorable traits of our liberal friends, one of my favorites is their propensity to shoehorn common English words into the confines of their ideology by redefining them until they've lost any resemblance to their actual meanings. They know that they could never convince most Americans to go along with their freedom-destroying, wealth-redistributing, big federal government schemes if they were honest about what they want to do.

So, until they can get rid of that pesky ballot box and that annoying democratic Republic framework created by those evil dead white Europeans, they have to continue to use obfuscation and deception to con as many people as possible.

Ironically, one of the Left's heroes, FDR, changed the meaning of the word "liberal" itself back in 1932.

Making a Mountain out of a Missouri Molehill

By John F. Di Leo -

Nobody’s perfect. 

Sometimes this statement is used to ridiculously minimize a huge problem (cf. Joe E. Brown’s closing line to Jack Lemmon, in “Some Like It Hot.”), and sometimes it’s used to fairly state an undeniable fact: that there is certainly something imperfect about everyone.

No matter whether you’re selecting a spouse or friend in your personal life, or a vendor or employee in your business life, or selecting a school or tutor for your children’s education, you’re forced to make choices in life.

There are certainly some issues that are absolute deal-breakers – a too-dangerous location, an unaffordable product, etc.  But most issues should be viewed on balance.  Perhaps a potential mate isn’t a knockout, but is smart and funny and accomplished.  Perhaps a school doesn’t have state-of-the-art science labs, but has a great reputation for math, English and history.  Perhaps one house isn’t as roomy as others you’re considering, but is more convenient to both work and friends than the alternatives.   Perhaps one job applicant doesn’t have as impressive a degree from as impressive a college as his competitor, but his superior experience outweighs that issue.  Wouldn’t you rather hire a lawyer from John Marshall who wins all his cases, over a lawyer from Harvard who doesn’t!

As free citizens in a free country, we make such choices every day.  We consider brands, price, reputation, and a myriad of other issues before we make a final decision.  As we should.  We hear the word “discrimination” attacked on a regular basis, but in fact, it has a good meaning too.  Taken at its basic definition, “discrimination” just means making a decision based on the evaluation of the facts, rather than making a random choice, or simply delegating the decision to someone else, such as a peer group, a political party, a pop culture, or the mainstream media.

5-state bus tour with IL's Jill Stanek to expose Obama's abortion extremism

WASHINGTON DC - Monday, the Susan B. Anthony List announced a five state “Women Speak Out: Abortion is Not Health Care” bus tour through swing states, August 20 to 30.

Led by former Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and pro-life nurse and whistleblower Jill Stanek, who exposed then state-senator Barack Obama’s refusal to protect live children who survived the abortion procedure, the bus tour will draw attention to President Obama’s extremism on abortion.

Election 2012 – dueling Catholics

By The Cranky Housewife -

Hold on. Let me get my banjo tuned up. Okay. There are a lot of different reasons that Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan to be his running mate. I'm probably not telling you something that you don't already know. His Tea Party appeal, conservative credentials…he's a bona fide Reagan Republican from Wisconsin and who knew they still made those? To the Romney campaign which is experiencing glitches in shoring up its conservative base, this pick is a no brainer. The readers of Illinois Review tend to be engaged participants in the political processes at the local, state and federal levels and since Romney made his announcement on Saturday; there have been enough discussions on this subject to help flesh out the salient points regarding the prospect of Paul Ryan becoming our VP. I suspect that you are all fluent on the subject by now.

For the record, I am cautiously pro-Ryan. I think he's great. I believe that he is exactly what this ticket and this nation need, but I'm wary because I can't help wincing as I reflect upon the GOP establishment and its history of cannibalizing its rising stars while propping up lackluster candidacies that would have little hope of surviving on their own. I'm not suggesting that this is what is happening here. Only time will tell if Romney is willing to speak truth to power and confront Barack Obama's atrocious record on really everything – even if that confrontation means that Romney must appear forceful and unyielding…gasp. Gracious, what a Cranky cynic you have on your hands today. I'm just saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me half a dozen times…" You get the point. Thus my cautious optimism.

At Death's Door

By Hannah Ihms -

There’s something more convincing than statistics, and that’s pain.

As I stood outside an abortion clinic this summer, I caught just a glimpse of the crushing pain—physical, spiritual, and emotional—that abortion inflicts on all it touches. I saw that there’s times when statistics just insulate me from what I don’t want to see, and inure me to the thought that trends pile up one life at a time.

The building itself was a hideous block building with a tiny parking lot. The waiting room must have extremely cramped, because even though the sun was beating down, family members would check in their sweethearts, wives, sisters, mothers, or friends, then stand in the parking lot, drive away to return later, or wander around aimlessly.

Regressive Progressivism

By Hannah Ihms -

Freedom can be inconvenient. It can demand things of us we’d rather not give, and demand us to think when we’d rather coast. But it’s better than the alternative. 

Noah Webster defined a slave as:

"1. A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another...

"2. One who has lost the power of resistance; or one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as a slave to passion, to lust, to ambition..."

If we refuse to think, others will do our thinking for us. If we cede our right to conscience, the battle is over. Without the ability to personally decide and act upon what we believe to be right and true, we will be utterly defenseless. What’s “right,” or “politically correct,” will then be what those who rule us determine it to be. This is the logical result of relativism: alternate realities must reconcile somehow, and force is the simple, direct method.

All this is nothing new. The current administration’s slogan may be “Forward,” but it’s leading us down a path rejected centuries ago. Collectivism? State-induced infanticide? That’s so 5th century. Progressives are regressing.