by Scott Thomas
Ozzie Guillen, manager of my beloved World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, said a really stupid thing. Ozzie Guillen was insensitive. Ozzie Guillen was offensive. When Ozzie Guillen called Chicago Sun Times columnist Jay Marriotti a "f-----g fag", he offended not only homosexuals, but thousands of grown adults who've learned to express themselves in ways that show an intelligent command of language. Ozzie Guillen was flat out wrong.
by Scott Thomas -- WYLL Talk Show Host
James Meeks is out of the governor’s race.
James Meeks spent an hour on my radio program several weeks ago talking about running for governor. He had been quoted as going so far as to say that if he ran, and white Christians didn’t vote for him, he’d go to the top of a skyscraper and call them all racists.
While he backed off from that rhetoric while on my show, he did say that he would run a campaign on the issues most important to Christians like me…abortion and same sex marriage.
Neither the Republican nor Democratic primary yeiled a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage candidate. The Constitution party gives us a wonderful pro-life candidate in Randy Stufflebeam, a candidate I like a lot, but hardly anybody knows who he is (at least at this point in the process). The email I just received from the office of State Senator Rev. James Meeks changes the gubernatorial landscape.
James Meeks is running for governor of Illinois on a new party ticket to be announced Saturday, May 20th. The text of the announcement, which I've been given permission to share, is below:
On Saturday May 20, 2006 the Reverend Senator James Meeks will name and announce his newly formed political party as well as present a slate of candidates as he kicks off an aggressive petition drive throughout the State of Illinois, beginning in the City of Chicago, the place where Meeks will make the announcement. State law requires that Meeks obtain a minimum of 25,000 signatures of registered voters in order to file his candidacy. Senator Meeks and his entire newly introduced slate of candidates will then travel from Chicago to Rockford, Springfield and East St. Louis meeting voters and launching local petition drives.
Attorney Burton S. Odelson, primary advisor to Senator Meeks efforts, says that he is confident that Senator Meeks and his team can far exceed the minimum number of signatures required. He also says that he “anticipates and welcomes any petition challenges” Odelson is assured that immediately following the conclusion of any resulting challenges, Senator Meeks will likely formally announce his candidacy for Governor of the State of Illinois.
I interviewed Rev. Meeks on my radio program about a month ago. He said he will run on a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage platform. Liberal on many issues, like education funding, Rev. Meeks presents a paradox for voters. I suspect his presence on the ballot (he needs to get the required 25,000 signatures, but that is an easy task for him) will take votes away from both major candidates. The question is, will those votes, plus the votes of his own constituency be enough to win the race?
He obviously is counting on conservative Christian voters who recognize he is conservative on the issues that count most to them...the protection of life and marriage. He brings high name recognition in support of these issues...issues that are virtually lost in the gubernatorial discussion without him.
Much more to come on this issue, but for now, make the changes on your political scorecards.
by Scott Thomas
Did you miss them?
Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, accompanied by legal (presumably) U.S. citizens who support them, took to various streets, parks, and church parking lots on Monday in a massive showing of solidarity. Regardless of how you feel about the various facets of the broader issue of Illegal Immigration, you couldn't help notice the phenomenon that Monday's rallies represented.
Continue reading "Illegal Immigration: Did you miss them?" »
by Scott Thomas
Earlier this week, President Bush announced his plan to have the United States stop buying oil for its strategic reserves, hoping to cause a glut in world wide oil production and drive the price of crude lower. The end result, at least for a little while, would be, lower prices at the gas pump.
I think it’s a sad day for free enterprise and a banner day for political pandering. When the entire world is paying higher gas prices, driven by futures speculators, increased consumption, and summer re-formulation, why should the U.S. government monkey with the supply and demand nature of a free market economy?
by Scott Thomas
In the hour, or so, leading toward noon on Monday, the anticipation that filled the news/talk airwaves in Chicago was palpable. Full scale, multi-reporter, operations were in full swing at NewsTalk 560 - WIND, and NewsRadio 780 - WBBM. A verdict had been reached in the George Ryan corruption trial. For those in the local news biz, this was no drill. This was the real deal.
One reporter anxiously anticipated the reading of the verdict for the "trial of the century", really dashing the hopes of those of us who'd rather not think we've hit our jurisprudence peak just over 5 years into said century. Trial of the year? Probably. Trial of the decade? So far...at least around here. But, trial of the century? I doubt it.
I can give the "trial of the century" guy a break because, after all, this is what he lives for. He breathes, eats, sleeps this stuff and, like so many others in the media, he thinks we all do. But, this, largely expected, verdict (guilty on all counts) did not put an exclamation point on the "trial of the century". It simply put a comma in the run-on sentence that is politics as usual in the state of Illinois.