Illinois Review

North Carolina Is Tackling Crimes Run Amok. Congress Should Take Notes.

If you can’t count the laws on the books, how can you enforce them? GianCarlo Canaparo and Lucas Drill write:

In the case of the federal government, experts estimate that there are more than 300,000 regulatory offenses carrying potential criminal penalties. Americans have been sent to prison for breaking laws they didn’t even know existed and which did not involve inherently blameworthy conduct.

Taking note of this problem, North Carolina passed a law in 2018 that required state and local agencies to report to the legislature all of their rules that carried criminal penalties. Many agencies failed to comply, and so, last month, the state enacted SB 584.

The Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes May Lead to More Smoking by Teenagers As Well As Adults

Vaping is a substitute for smoking. Jacob Sullum writes:

According to the [National Youth Tobacco Survey], the prevalence of past-month cigarette smoking among high school students fell from 8.1 percent in 2018 to 5.8 percent this year, even as the prevalence of past-month vaping rose from 20.8 percent to 27.5 percent. Since 2011, the smoking rate has fallen by 63 percent, while the vaping rate has increased more than 18-fold. Based on these data, Boston University public health professor Michael Siegel found a negative correlation of –0.89 between vaping and smoking among high school students.

Those opposing trends suggest not only that more vaping does not result in more smoking but that teenagers who otherwise would be smoking are instead vaping, a much less dangerous habit. In fact, a 2018 study, based on data from the NYTS and other surveys, found that the decline in smoking among teenagers and young adults accelerated as vaping became increasingly common.

Hysterics Aside, Vaping Is the Safest Quit-Smoking Aid on the Market

Our perceptions of risks are out of whack. Tim Andrews writes:

The smoking cessation drug Chantix was approved by the FDA in 2006 and is presently prescribed to roughly 175,000 Americans. For many, it is an effective smoking cessation tool and plays an important role in reducing the number of smokers in the United States.

But the drug is far from risk-free. One out of every 67 patients taking the medication experienced a significant adverse health event as a result. There’s some evidence linking the medication to increased heart risks and suicidal thoughts, though, similar to e-cigarettes, the FDA probably overstated risks. Chantix is, by all accounts, a powerful, effective medication, and just like many other proven drugs and therapies, it has its risks. But the risks of vaping don’t even come close to matching other smoking cessation products such as Chantix.

Remains of over two thousand aborted babies found in Will County home

Photo Jill Stanek -  Crete Illinois home where remains of over 2200 aborted babies were found 

CRETE, ILLINOIS - Early at the scene of a Crete Illinois home where news broke Friday night about the remains of 2,246 aborted babies  being discovered, prolife activist Jill Stanek spoke bluntly about what she saw Saturday morning. 

"The only media there was a guy from a Joliet paper, reminiscent of the lack of press attention at the Gosnell trial. There were three Will County Sheriff's Department vehicles - but the area wasn't taped off as a crime scene," Stanek told Illinois Review.

"Imagine if 2,246 bodies of born people had been found there. Even 29 - the number of boys and men found a John Wayne Gacy's house.  The press camped out there for days and police were everywhere.  The reason for the disparity, of course? Abortion."

Stanek shared with Illinois Review several photos she took of the buildings at 2901 East Pine Ct in unincorporated Will County, Illinois - reported to be the home of abortionist Dr. Ulrich Klopfer. Klopfer is alleged to have performed abortions at a clinic in South Bend Indiana, a three hour drive east of the Crete residence.

According to the sheriff's office, an attorney representing the family of Klopfer was going through the doctor's personal property in unincorporated Will County when the remains were discovered. Klopfer reportedly died on September 3. (Will County Sheriff's Department statement HERE on Illinois Review)

Photos taken Saturday morning by Jill Stanek in Crete, Illinois

More on this story to come ... 

Will County Sheriff's Dept Statement on Fetal Remains Found in Crete

CRETE, Illinois - Friday, the Will County Sheriff's Department posted this statement on discovering the remains of 2,246 "medically-preserved fetal remains" at a home in Crete Illinois:

On September 12, 2019 at approximately 3:30pm, the Will County Coroner’s Office received a telephone call from an attorney representing the family of Dr. Ulrich Klopfer who passed away on September 3, 2019. The attorney informed the Coroner’s Office that while going through the doctor’s personal property they discovered what appeared to be fetal remains and requested that the Will County Coroner’s Office provide proper removal. The Coroner’s Office contacted the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Will County Sheriff’s Office regarding the information conveyed by the attorney.

Will County Sheriff’s Detectives, Crime Scene Investigators and representatives from the Will County Coroner’s Office arrived at an address in unincorporated Will County. Personnel were directed to an area of the property where 2,246 medically preserved fetal remains were located.  The Will County Coroner’s Office took possession of the remains. 

 The family is cooperating fully with this investigation. There is no evidence that any medical procedures were conducted at the property.  This is an ongoing joint effort investigation by the Will County Coroner’s Office, the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Photos of Dr. Klopfer's residence where the remains were discovered HERE on Illinois Review.com

Suburban nurse testifies before Congress about holding aborted baby until he died

WASHINGTON DC - Suburban nurse Jill Stanek's story of holding a 22-week Downs Syndrome baby whose birth was induced because his parents did not want him is one that has haunted Illinoisans for 20 years - or it should have. 

Stanek's story this week included photos of what the hospital called a "Comfort Room" - to take professional photos of the babies induced early and allowed to die.

Should Justice Burke be held somewhat responsible for her husband's dealings?

CHICAGO - Earlier this week, Illinois Review readers showed their outrage with the Illinois Supreme Court's pick for their next chief justice to be Anne Burke, the wife of longtime Chicago Alderman Ed Burke - who is facing federal corruption charges.

Over 4600 readers "liked" the story about Justice Burke on Facebook (normally 10% of the story readers) - indicating an unusual interest, and in many cases disgust with the story. The question has become, "Should Justice Burke be held somewhat responsible for her husband's dealings, or should she be honored with the highest judicial post in the state?"

The Burkes' story isn't limited.

Nationwide Rasmussen survey shows 53% oppose taxpayers bailing out union pension funds

CHICAGO - Democrats in control of Illinois and Chicago governments refuse to address the state employees' pension fund crisis - and on occasion, you'll hear union members quietly confess they expect taxpayers - state or federal - to bail them out, sooner or later.

Despite promising incredibly lucrative pensions with three percent annual cost-of-living-adjustments to keep union members voting Democrats into office year after year, the percent of pension funding being paid is decreasing every year. The dreaded pension crisis nationwide is nearing.

Di Leo: The evolving concept of "Sanctuary": from Yesterday's Altars to Today's Refugees

By John F. Di Leo - 

Long, long ago… in the early middle ages in fact… the English monarchy established the concept of sanctuary.

In those days, if an accused criminal was being chased down by the police, he could run into the first church he could find, grab hold of one corner of the altar, and claim sanctuary, gaining protection from the law for an extensive period of time.

Other countries have had variations on the concept, but this English method is the best known. For over a thousand years, up until the English Civil War in fact, this was the law in Great Britain: police in hot pursuit had to stand down if their quarry made it to a church altar.

Dr. Orient: Parents Storm State Capitals over Vaccines

Gospel Herald photo

By Jane M. Orient, M.D. -

“Baby shots” used to be a boring subject, and taken for granted. As the number of vaccines grew from seven in the 1980s to 16 requiring 70 doses now, most parents obediently brought their children to the doctor when shots were “due.” The compliance rate was more than 90 percent. Parents who objected for one reason or another just got an exemption from school-attendance mandates and kept quiet. Every state had a medical exemption, most had a religious exemption, and many had easily obtained philosophical or personal-belief exemptions.

Now that states are repealing exemptions, parents are descending on state capitals en masse, many with severely-injured children in tow. Thousands rallied outside an Albany courthouse as a lawsuit challenging an end to religious exemptions was heard.

Beckman: Trump Supporters are simply "Mad as Hell"

By Hank Beckman - 

Leftists and Never Trump Republicans can’t quite get a handle on what motivates President Trump’s supporters.

Being politicians and pundits, they have their theories, of course.  Hillary Clinton notoriously pegged us as deplorable and irredeemable; Jonathon Chait sniffs that “to watch Donald Trump and see a qualified and plausible president, you probably have some kind of mental shortcoming”; others, like Thomas Frank, at least flirt with part of the truth, chalking it up to the failure of elites in both parties to respond of the changing world economy.

And there are always people like Rob Reiner to remind us what he and his Hollywood friends have been insisting ever since Trump rode down that elevator to announce his candidacy: we’re all racists. In the modern era, charges of bigotry are the preferred  tactic to be used by the Left against any formidable conservative or Republican. Its genius is that it works in any number of scenarios. Disagree with a person of color, a Muslim, a woman, an illegal alien, or a gay person, and the “hater” label becomes the Left’s default argument.

But we’re not stupid, we’re not bigots, and the causalities of the global economy are only part of the explanation.

What we really are is Howard Beale.

Ruling in Minnesota Wedding Videographers’ Case Properly Prioritizes First Amendment Rights

Free speech gets a rare win in the wedding wars. Businesses who, for reasons of religious conviction, do not wish to provide services for same-sex weddings have a losing record before the courts, which usually rule that public accommodation laws trump free speech claims. On August 23, however, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Minnesota Human Rights Act must give way to the free speech claims of Carl and Angel Larsen’s video production company, Telescope Media Group. Thomas Jipping writes:

The 8th Circuit primarily addressed the Larsens’ free speech claim, and did so in a principled way that shows how such conflicts between constitutional and civil rights should be handled.

The court found, for example, that while producing videos involves actions, those actions result in media “for the communication of ideas.” By dictating how those ideas must be communicated, the Minnesota law “operates as a content-based regulation of their speech.”

The Holes in Warren’s Wealth Tax Can’t Be Plugged

Looting is bad policy. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax would be hard to administer and is unlikely to collect as much revenue as she claims, writes Michael R. Strain:

The U.S. estate tax system already finds it challenging to determine wealth once in a person’s lifetime (at the time of death). Under Warren’s proposal, the fair market value of all assets for the wealthiest 0.06% of households would have to be assessed every year. It would be difficult to determine the market value of partially held private businesses, works of art and the like every year.

This helps to explain why the number of countries in the high-income OECD that administer a wealth tax fell from 14 in 1996 to only four in 2017. (Or six, if you include the nonstandard wealth taxes in the Netherlands and Italy.)

Trump Should Use UN Meeting to Champion Religious Liberty

Heads of state will flock shortly to Turtle Bay for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. They have no better opportunity to highlight perhaps the most important human rights issue of our times— religious freedom. 

President Donald Trump ought to take concerns over this most basic of human liberties center stage at the U.N. after the 74th session of the General Assembly opens Sept. 17.

On the agenda in New York is an entire summit on climate change Sept. 23. Few dispute that addressing climate change is a worthwhile topic.

That said, when politicians gather to discuss the issue they wind up sounding a lot more like politicians than problem solvers, producing paeans of climate orthodoxy mixed with sanctimonious and self-serving speechifying.

More HERE

Two GOP lawmakers feud over 66th House District race

ELGIN - A photo of a visit last week to an Elgin electric company ended up as a public feud between two Republican lawmakers that represent the same area - State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-66) and recently-appointed State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles).

Turning Point USA's new video featuring 9-11 first responders

Turning Point USA released a new video Wednesday featuring 9-11 first responders to the New York City travesty 18 years ago. 

"Today, there are generations of young Americans who weren’t alive or were too young to remember 9/11 - many of whom are a part of the TPUSA movement.  Which is why we feel it is our responsibility to do our part to ensure that 9/11 is never forgotten," the group said in a statement. 

IL Supreme Court picks new chief justice Anne Burke, whose husband faces federal corruption charges

SPRINGFIELD - Serving her second 10-year term in the Illinois Supreme Court, Justice Anne Burke - whose husband Alderman Ed Burke faces 14 federal corruption charges - will be the Court's Chief Justice for the next three years. Tweeted by Chicago Tonight's political correspondent Paris Schutz:

Thorner: America's insatiable sex obsession leads to human trafficking crisis

FitNews.com photo

By Nancy Thorner - 

Most people would be surprised to hear that the United States is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. According to a recently released report by the State Department by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "Trafficking in Persons" report, the top three nations in 2018 of origin for victims of human trafficking were the United States, Mexico and the Philippines.

At the heart of the human trafficking trade is America is simple economics: Supply and demand. As stated by Geoff Rogers co-founder of the United States Institute Against Human Trafficking in an interview with Fox News: “The United States is the No. 1 consumer of sex, so we are driving the demand as a society.”

Weyermuller: Remembering 9-11 18 years later

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Tuesday, I joined families and 1st responders placing 2996 American Flags on the Village Green on Maple Street in Winnetka, Illinois. The tribute will stand for one day and be taken down at sunset on September 11, 2019. About half the group placing flags were children who are not born before that fateful day 18 years ago.

Leftist Gestapo: 'No Laughing at Chappelle Jokes!'

Progressives fly into a totalitarian rage after a comedian dares to mock their sacred cows.

It wasn’t all that long ago that standup comedian Dave Chappelle was brilliant.

Take it from Slate, which in 2014 called him “brilliant” and in 2017 described his Netflix specials as “electrifying.” Now Slate complains, “he went away for a long time, and while you changed with the times, he fashioned himself a badge of honor for defiantly not doing so.” That long time is 2 years.