Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Thank God for Friends of the Parks

CHICAGO 06/28/2016, 09:40pm

Friends of the Parks fires back on Rahm/Lucas attempted land grab

Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry | Sun-Times file photo

Chicago lost the Lucas museum because movie mogul George Lucas “wanted his way or the highway” and Mayor Rahm Emanuel enabled him by creating the “false expectation” that City Hall could deliver an “illegal” lakefront site, Friends of the Parks said Tuesday.

“From the beginning, there should have been a real process to get the Lucas museum on an appropriate site west of Lake Shore Drive. If not, then don’t waste all of our time,” Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry told the Chicago Sun-Times in her first in-depth interview since Lucas pulled the plug on the Chicago project.

“The mayor was always going to give Mr. Lucas his way. There were never any negotiations in good faith with Friends of the Parks other than what Mr. Lucas wanted,” she said. “The

Friday, June 24, 2016

Dems are now admitting that Hillary is damaged goods and are looking for an alternative

Joe Biden, in a speech in Ireland, will warn against blaming immigrants for unrest as he positions himself to be the democratic nominee. 

Michael A. Memoli
Vice President Joe Biden will warn Friday against “reactionary politicians and demagogues” who blame immigrants for economic and societal unrest and appeal instead to voters’ optimism and the sense of possibility that drew many – including his own ancestors – to American shores.
In a speech during his visit to Ireland, from which those ancestors emigrated to seek a new start in America, Biden will celebrate his roots while drawing a clear contrast with Donald Trump. It will be Biden’s second direct challenge to the presumptive Republican nominee this week.
According to advance remarks provided to the Los Angeles Times, Biden will note how his mother instilled in him a pride in his Irish heritage, as well as “an absolute certitude that she or any of us were equal to any man or woman on Earth.”
“We’re defined by a common creed that says to our children that if they work hard, if they struggle, if they are loyal, if they are courageous – they will have an opportunity to live a better life than the generation before them,” Biden was to say. “It’s defined by a simple belief that anything is possible.  And it’s a belief shared by the vast majority of immigrant families that have come to the United States from many other nations.”
Biden was to note that at a time of “rising xenophobia,” it was important to remember the dreams his and other Americans’ ancestors held for their families as they traveled to the U.S. The remarks were to be an especially timely response from the Obama administration just hours after the historic vote by Britain to leave the European Union amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment. 
Though Ireland and the U.S. share values and are closely bound,  many challenges remain, Biden will note: war, terrorism, economic unease “and the inevitable human reaction of frustration and anger.”
“It provides fertile terrain for reactionary politicians and demagogues peddling xenophobia, nationalism, and isolationism, all of which tear at our social fabric,” Biden was to say. “We see it in Europe and around the world. And we see it today in the United States, where some politicians find it convenient to scapegoat immigrants instead of welcoming them; play to our fears rather than appeal to our better natures; divide us based on religion or ethnicity rather than unite us in our common humanity; and build walls between nations when we should be building bridges among us.”
“That’s why it’s as important as ever to remember who we are as peoples and as nations—self-reflective, self-critical, self-corrective.”
Biden’s comments will come as Trump is also traveling abroad, just across the Irish Sea in Scotland. 
Biden arrived Tuesday for meetings with the country’s prime minister and president, including a round of golf with the former.
But his trip this week is a deeply personal one. Several generations of Bidens have joined him on an itinerary that includes stops in Counties Mayo and Louth, where their ancestors lived before heading to America.
About the same time his great-great grandfather Owen Finnegan left from Louth for the U.S., Biden will note, another shoemaker, Joseph Kearny from County Offaly, did the same, setting a course for his own descendant, President Obama.
“It’s doubtful they knew each other. But one thing we do know – they left everything behind for an uncertain future,” he will say. “And in all of their dreams, could they have ever dreamt that 160 years later, two great-great-grandsons of shoemakers from Ireland would be sworn in as vice president and president of the United States?”

Thursday, June 23, 2016

O'Shea was out in the storm last night!

The Best
I saw him driving around two times last night, during and after the storm. He was checking on flooding and downed trees. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a chain saw in that SUV. 

We are fortunate to have a capable alderman who also has lots of integrity. This guy works his ass off and gets things done 

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Cook County wants to spend some money to better understand why there is so much gun violence


Absolutely perplexed
On Tuesday, Cook County officials said it was time for an end on the ban that prevents federal funds from being spent on researching gun violence. A ban that is blamed on congressional gun lobbyists, and in particular, the NRA.
“Prohibiting the Centers for Disease Control from conducting such research flies in the face of common sense and hinders our ability to address this national scourge,” said Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President. “Would we allow brewers and distillers to block federally funded research into alcoholism? I don't think so.”
Health officials stressed that violence is a complex problem that involves more than just guns, and can't be solved by police alone. It requires data-driven research.
“Just as we use research to curb the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola and Zika, research is needed to understand how better to address gun violence in Chicago and our country,” said Dr. Jay Shannon, CEO of Cook County Health System.
Those on the front line of saving victims of gunfire say it's time for some common sense changes to address what they call an epidemic.
Has solved the mystery of why
“Until then, we will continue to do what we do and treat those patients who have been needlessly injured or killed by guns,” said Dr. Bokhari.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Wants another term

Gov. Moribund
Gov. Bruce Rauner — who has spent the last year and half in a war of words with Democrats over the state’s budget crisis — on Monday quietly confirmed he is seeking re-election in 2018.

The news is not a surprise to political insiders. The venture capitalist has long said the business community urged him to run to try to turn around the state’s economy. And he hasn’t yet succeeded in securing his “Turnaround Agenda,” more than a year into his first term.
Can you imagine 8 years with this guy at the helm? 

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Happy Father's Day

This is to all the Dad's in the neighborhood who get it their all, everyday. 

Monday, June 13, 2016

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Muhammad Ali's connection to the 19th Ward and our neighborhood's most iconic family



Boxing fans in the Southland were saddened by the death of Muhammad Ali, but also remembered "The Greatest" for his terrific moves in the ring and the humor and antics through which he brought this sport to life.
Ali had strong ties to Chicago's South Side, having lived in the Hyde Park and Woodlawn areas and worked out in the local gyms.
His son-in-law Michael Joyce, who knew Ali from boxing in the gyms before he

Medical facilities are killing non-terminally ill patients by withholding food & water

Posted on  by  | 

It’s bad enough that euthanasia of the terminally-ill is now legal in states like Oregon and California, a hospital and a hospice are deliberately killing non-terminally ill patients by withholding food and water, à la what they did to Terri Schiavo.
culture of death
The following is a June 6 email from Life Legal Defense Foundation:
Life Legal received two distressing phone calls on Sunday.
One was from the niece of an elderly woman who is in the hospital following an injury. The woman has slight dementia, but is able to communicate. The hospital decided it would no longer treat her, as care was “futile” because of the woman’s dementia.The woman’s niece tried to get a court order to keep her aunt alive, but the judge refused—and slandered the niece’s Catholic faith in the process. Yesterday, the hospital withdrew food and hydration from the woman.
Did you know that dementia is considered a terminal illness? And that food and hydration are considered “medical care” that can be withdrawn if a physician believes your condition won’t improve over time? In this case, the woman’s dementia is not severe—she still recognizes her niece and the hospital staff—yet because it will likely not get better, her doctors sentenced her to an agonizing death.
The second call was from the boyfriend of a 30-year-old woman who suffered a brain injury after she went into cardiac arrest. She is in a hospice facility that has not given her any nutrition for over a week. A few days ago, she started talking! She said that she is hungry and is asking for food. She is able to pull herself up and move her legs. She sings along to her favorite songs. Yet, the hospice refuses to feed her and is now giving her morphine because she tried to get out of bed.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Who is the racist?


Annoyed at federal judge Gonzalo P. Curiel's persistent rulings against him in the Trump University case (brought by a law firm that has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches by Bill and Hillary), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that maybe it's because the judge is a second-generation Mexican immigrant.


The entire media -- and most of the GOP -- have spent 10 months telling us that Mexicans in the United States are going to HATE Trump for saying he'll build a wall. Now they're outraged that Trump thinks one Mexican hates him for saying he'll build a wall.


Curiel has distributed scholarships to illegal aliens. He belongs to an organization that sends lawyers to the border to ensure that no illegal aliens' "human rights" are violated. The name of the organization? The San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association -- "La Raza"

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

So full of..................................

Sen. Bullshit
Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. Mark Kirk said Tuesday that Donald Trump "does not have the temperament" to hold the job of president, saying he "cannot and will not support" the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
It was sharp criticism from an incumbent who had previously insisted he would support the GOP nominee.
    The Illinois Republican, who faces a tough challenge this November from Illinois Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, tweeted Tuesday that based on his background in the military, he does not have faith in Trump to lead.
    "Given my military experience, Donald Trump does not have the temperament to command our military or our nuclear arsenal," Kirk wrote.

    Wednesday, June 1, 2016

    Time for Biden?

    Clinton Might Not Be the Nominee

    A Sanders win in California would turbocharge the mounting Democratic unease about her viability.

    ENLARGE
    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton’s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders. That could well happen.

    A recent PPIC poll shows Mrs. Clinton with a 2% lead over Mr. Sanders, and a Fox News survey found the same result. Even a narrow win would give him 250 pledged delegates or more—a significant boost. California is clearly trending to Mr. Sanders, and the experience in recent open primaries has been that the Vermont senator tends to underperform in pre-election surveys and over-perform on primary and caucus days, thanks to the participation of new registrants and young voters. 
    To this end, data from mid-May show that there were nearly 1.5 million newly registered Democratic voters in California since Jan. 1. That’s a 218% increase in Democratic voter registrations compared with the same period in 2012, a strongly encouraging sign for Mr. Sanders.
    A Sanders win in California would powerfully underscore Mrs. Clinton’s weakness as a candidate in the general election. Democratic superdelegates—chosen by the