Imagine this: A 58-year-old man who has made deviant sexuality the cornerstone of his identity and who has dedicated his professional life to making sure that every woman is permitted by law to have her preborn baby killed has been nominated by Governor Quinn to sit on the “Human Rights Commission.”

After receiving thousands of dollars for his election campaign from openly homosexual, anti-life activist Terry Cosgrove, Quinn has nominated him to sit on the Illinois Human Rights Commission from which Cosgrove can promote even more cultural evil. In addition, many of the lawmakers who are voting on Cosgrove’s nomination received campaign contributions from Cosgrove’s anti-life Personal PAC.

Through his Personal PAC, Cosgrove works unrelentingly to elect lawmakers who will preserve legalized infanticide in law. How darkly ironic that Quinn has nominated someone who fights tenaciously for the rights of fully developed humans to destroy less-developed humans to a commission ostensibly committed to “human rights.” It seems self-evident that the right merely to exist is a right of a higher moral order than some specious “right” to end the life of another human being.

Here’s more on Quinn’s morally bankrupt nominee from Cosgrove’s website:

Terry Cosgrove is the President and CEO of Personal PAC. He along with the Board of Directors, has been instrumental in developing Personal PAC’s sophisticated strategy for electing pro-choice candidates. This strategy incorporates an intensive paid telephone program that has identified nearly ½ million pro-choice voters in Illinois, plus a sophisticated direct mail campaign and comprehensive campaign consulting.

Terry’s campaign consulting is a real plus in implementing Personal PAC’s political strategy. He works closely with numerous candidates to make sure they have the nuts-and-bolts tools to win on election day. Among other things, he assists candidates in selecting pollsters, media consultants, direct mail firms, and paid campaign staffers. He also helps them recruit volunteers, execute fundraising plans, and any other activity necessary to ensure their success. In 1999, Terry became President and CEO of Personal PAC.

Over the past twenty-five years, in addition to his Personal PAC responsibilities, Terry has also managed many political campaigns and has lent assistance to NARAL, Planned Parenthood, NOW, National Pro-Choice Resource Center, Voters for Choice, Women’s Campaign Fund and the Emergency Abortion Loan Fund. In 1992, Terry played a pivotal role in restoring abortion services for poor women at Cook County Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in the nation. Terry was also honored with the ‘Freedom of Choice’ award by the Chicago Abortion Fund.

Take ACTION: Ask your state senator to oppose the nomination of Terry Cosgrove to the Human Rights Commission.

You can also call your state senator via the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000.

Please take a moment to email and call today!

You did it again! Another victory!

SR 92 sponsor, State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Chicago), has informed our lobbyists that she is withdrawing her resolution on the disastrous treaty known as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

THANK YOU. SR 92 is no longer a threat because of you.

Your phone calls, emails and letters sent an overwhelming message that was received loud and clear. Additionally, the position paper sent to Sen. Lightford by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) was extremely compelling. We the people were able to kill this anti-family resolution before it was even heard in committee.

Congratulations on a job well done.

Our friends at the Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) pointed out that the controversy sparked by SR 92 fulfilled a very important purpose by helping us educate a greater number of people on the harmful impact the CRC would have on our lives. ICHE also rightly points out that the UN’s CRC continues to be a threat at the federal level. (Watch for more information on this in the near future.)

This victory underscores the fact that you can make a difference with your grass-roots lobbying efforts. Let me encourage you to remain engaged in the process and our government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Thank you again!

God bless you and your family,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

How did they vote?

Yesterday, the Illinois Senate Public Health committee passed SB 1619 by a party line vote of 6 to 4. It now moves to the full senate. Look at the list below to see how the members of this committee voted.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to contact your state senator today and ask him or her to vote against SB 1619, the so-called “Personal Responsibility Education Program Act,” which more appropriately could be called the “Condom Training Sex Ed Bill.” SB 1619 is backed by Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, Illinois ACLU and a host of other liberal groups, which are engaged in a massive lobbying push for this bill.

You can also call the switchboard in Springfield at (217) 782-2000 and ask for your state senator. If you don’t know who your state senator is, click HERE to look up your elected officials. Or call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328 and we will help you get that information.

SB 1619 Senate Public Health Committee Vote
Yea — Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago)

Yea — Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago)

Yea — Senator Susan Garrett (D-Highwood)

Yea — Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin)

Yea — Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) substituting for Sen. Schoenberg

Yea — Senator Heather A. Steans (D-Chicago)

No — Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford)

No — Senator. Shane Cultra (R-Onarga)

No — Senator Christine J. Johnson (R-Sycamore)

No — Senator Carole Pankau (R-Bloomingdale)

Background

Parents do not want their children being taught the “how to’s” of sexual activity, especially when that activity puts their children’s lives and health in jeopardy. Most parents are fully aware that Planned Parenthood and its liberal allies are actually encouraging sexual activity with SB 1619.

In 2005, the ACLU of Illinois mailed a letter to more than thirteen hundred school superintendents across Illinois complaining that some schools in Illinois are providing their students with “dangerous, inaccurate sex education information.”

What “inaccurate sex education information,” you may ask? Well, according to the ACLU of Illinois, schools that teach abstinence-only-until-marriage “deny students crucial information they need to prevent pregnancy and protect them from sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs).”

Yes, you read that right. The ACLU of Illinois holds the opinion that by promoting no sex until marriage, somehow schools increase student health risks. Of course this makes no sense. Abstinence, when adhered to, will never result in pregnancy and will never spread STDs.

Moreover, studies have shown that “A greater number of students in abstinence programs correctly identified STDs than did students in control groups,” and “a greater number of students in abstinence programs reported correctly that birth control pills do not prevent STDs than did students in control groups.” (For more information, please read Laurie Higgins’ article, Abstinence Education Works.)

The ACLU and Planned Parenthood, which also happens to be the nation’s biggest abortion provider, would rather use your tax dollars and public school resources to promote and encourage young people to experiment with all types of risky sexual behavior, including oral sex and homosexuality. (In 2010, Illinois received $2.23 million from the new federal Personal Responsibility Education Program for “comprehensive” sex education programs.)

According to organizations like Planned Parenthood, it’s necessary and appropriate to indoctrinate young impressionable students with ideas about dangerous behaviors, but abstention from discussing dangerous sexual behavior is misleading.

In contrast, just look at the recently released data by the Centers for Disease Control that strongly suggests that abstinence education works. According to the 2006-2008 survey results released earlier this month, the majority of teens have never had any kind of sexual relations with any partner.

The failures of “safe sex” are abundantly clear: unwanted pregnancies, abortion, disease, and devastating emotional ramifications. Abstinence until marriage is the only dependable safe-sex message Illinois policy-makers should be promoting in our public schools. There are no teenage pregnancy epidemics or STD outbreaks when abstinence is practiced. So, why not promote it?

by Dr. Paul Chabot Ed.D – Illinois Family Institute

We can learn a lot from the legalization of so-called “medical” marijuana in California. Illinois’ HB 30, a much broader bill than the California law of 1996, has again been introduced in Illinois.

HB 30 allows a “patient” to possess 6 cannabis plants but only 3 mature plants for a 60-day period. A patient may have two caregivers who can each grow/possess 6 plants. For a 60-day period 3 mature plants can produce 1,764 joints and 6 mature plants (two caregivers) can produce 2,528 joints or 29 per day. What patient can possibly smoke that many and what will happen to the rest?

Allowing the use of cannabis for “medical” reasons is the necessary first step to full legalization.

“The key to it is medical access, because once you have hundreds of thousands of people using marijuana under medical supervision, the whole scam is going to be bought. Once there’s medical access…then we will get full legalization.” Richard Cowan, former director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana.

We’re closely watching Illinois’ HB 30, sponsored by Lou Lang (D-Skokie), Angelo Saviano (R-Elmwood Park), and Ann Williams (D-Chicago).

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your state representative an email or a fax to tell him/her that you do not want marijuana sold in your neighborhood for any purpose.

Please read this important article from Dr. Paul Chabot regarding “medical” marijuana:

From the 1996 Prop 215 that brought us so-called medical marijuana (nothing medical about it), allowing anybody to smoke pot who has 150 bucks in their pocket and claims any alignment, to today’s all out far-left agenda of overall drug legalization, comes Proposition 19 – another train wreck for disaster California.

Voters in the Inland Empire were not fooled by prop 215 in 1996 and rejected its false claims in the voter booths. However, overall statewide voters did pass the initiative, but by a marginal 56% – and most of those voters thought pot would only be used by terminally ill patients. California voters are smarter today – most know somebody who has a medical pot ID card for any number of bogus reasons, including hair loss, itchy skin and high heal pain. Los Angeles exploded with over 1,000 pot stores – more than Starbucks, 7-11’s and McDonalds combined! More kids enter drug rehab for
pot than any other drug combined. That may be why state voters defeated Prop 5 in 2008 – another attempt by the pro-drug lobby to move forward their agenda in California under the guise of “compassion.”

Today’s Proposition 19, on the November ballot, is led by Richard Lee, founder of a pro-marijuana advocacy group called “Oaksterdam University” in Oakland, CA. His proposition allows the following: Expressly omits any definition of what constitutes being “under the influence” of marijuana; States that you cannot use marijuana while driving, but makes it completely permissible to use marijuana just prior to getting behind the wheel; Prevents employers who operate transportation companies or have company vehicles from requiring employees operating these vehicles be drug free; Does not regulate marijuana like alcohol or tobacco; Would not eliminate the need for illicit marijuana dealers; Would place hundreds of employers, including public schools, at risk
of violating the Federal Workplace Act.

Prop 19 would also devastate communities: The proposition states, “that a lawful occupant, lawful resident or guest may cultivate cannabis on private property,” up to 25-square feet of pot growing per residence; Does not limit the cultivation to “personal
consumption” by the cultivator; Would allow for the growing and processing of marijuana in the front yard or backyard of any residence no matter how close that residence is to a school; Would allow each resident in a “dwelling” the ability to claim a 25 square feet plot for growth and cultivation; Potentially removes enforcement on behalf of the land/property owner; Would prohibit bus, trucking and transit companies from requiring employees to be drug-free; would allow licensed marijuana dealers to advertise without restriction, near schools, libraries and parks, just like cigarette companies; Would forbid school bus drivers from smoking marijuana on schools grounds or while actually behind the wheel, but a bus driver could arrive for work with marijuana in his or her system, thereby placing hundreds of school children at risk on a daily basis.

The pro-pot leaders claim our state will raise billions in tax dollars. What they don’t tell you is that for every one-dollar we would garner from a pot tax, California taxpayers would end up paying another $9 for every $1 of pot tax cleaning up the societal
health care costs. Drug trafficking organizations in Mexico would not vanish, as the pot heads claim, because these organizations also traffic in heroin, meth, cocaine, weapons and people. And here’s the bottom line – what kind of message do we want to send to youth? We already have enough problems with alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs in our state.

Because of these facts, it’s no surprise that both Democrats and Republicans are speaking out against Prop 19, including California’s two Governor candidates, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman. Even the ultra liberal mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newson, is against Prop 19. Here in the Inland Empire, we continue to lead by example as exemplified by cities like Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga. Both recently approved city proclamations against Prop 19.

Dr. Paul Chabot Ed.D is President of Chabot Strategies, LLC, is the founder of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition and theCoalition for a Drug Free California.

Senator Maloney has heard your concerns and has tabled the bill which means it’s dead for the session!

Take ACTION: Click HERE to contact Senator Maloney to thank him for hearing your concerns. You can also call his district office at 773-881-4180.

Background

In a show of strength, an estimated 4000 homeschoolers descended on the Illinois Capitol Tuesday morning to demonstrate their opposition to SB 136, the proposal to mandate the registration of homeschool students with state bureaucrats.

During the Senate Education Committee hearing on the matter, proponents of the bill made it abundantly clear that registration isn’t all they were interested in. During testimony, downstate Truancy Officer Bill Reynolds told the committee that he wanted to “help” homeschoolers in his area, but didn’t necessarily know where to find them. This reminded me of Ronald Reagan’s words: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”

And at various points during the hearing, both Senators Kimberly Lightford (D-Chicago) and Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) wondered what role government should have in trying to help those homeschooling students who were “falling through the cracks.” Apparently they failed to see the irony in requiring homeschooling parents to register their children in a system that has allowed scores of students to fall through the cracks for decades.

An email from Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) pointed out:

Some senators worried about homeschoolers “falling through the cracks.” But if “falling through the cracks” means kids ending high school without a diploma, without being able to read, without being able to enter college without remedial classes, and with a juvenile justice record, then “falling through the cracks” is quite common in public schools. The sad truth is that the public schools do not have the solution to “falling through the cracks!” Why should the least effective system of education supervise the most effective system?

One of the more alarming comments from the committee came from Senator Lightford, who wondered about homeschool teacher qualification and certification, which reveals the true intent of some government employees and points to the inevitable “slippery slope from registration to regulation” that IFI’s Laurie Higgins wrote about in her original article about this ominous bill.

If you are not convinced, please consider this exchange between Committee Member Senator David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) and Truancy Officer Bill Reynolds:

Senator Luechtefeld: “If they register – will you go to any house and see if you can help?”

Truancy Officer: “Yes, sir.”

Senator Luechtefeld: “Even those that are doing a really good job?”

Truancy Officer: “That’s right. And I’ll know very quickly as I knock on the door; the ones that are doing a great job won’t let me go. They’ll want me to come in. The ones that say we don’t want you around I’ll know to take further action.”

Senator Luechtefeld: “I still don’t see how this changes things just because they register.”

Truancy Officer: “It gives me the name and opportunity.”

In other words, Mr. Reynolds is admitting that this bill is a solution looking for a problem! This bill will give him job security as he and other Truancy Officers harass homeschooling families and demand proof of academic success. So much for innocent until proven guilty. This is a standard not even required of public school teachers and administrators. IFI lobbyist Ralph Rivera pointed out the fact that existing truancy laws are adequate and that homeschoolers are accountable to them.

Opponents of this bill, including attorney Scott Woodruff from HSLDA, pointed out that this bill will turn peaceful, ordinary citizens “into political activists” — a fact driven home by a packed hearing room that overflowed into the hallways of the second and third floors. While waiting for the hearing to start, the crowd in the hallways began to sing. Strains of “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” “Amazing Grace,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” drifted into the committee room. This huge, orderly, and deeply passionate crowd singing beautifully made a powerful statement and played an invaluable part in seeing SB 136 defeated so quickly.

Other great Youtube links:

National Anthem in the halls of the Capitol

Another view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXi0feUQcSA

America the Beautiful by homeschoolers opposing SB 136

WMAY Report on Hearing

How did they vote?

Illinois lawmakers approved a 66 percent increase in the state’s income tax in the final hours of a lame duck session.

Despite tens of thousands of calls, emails, faxes and letters in opposition to increased taxes, our state legislators decided to raise the state’s personal income tax from the current 3 percent flat rate, to 5 percent and the corporate income tax rate from 4.8 percent to 7 percent.

The bill number is SB 2505.

In the Illinois House, our state representatives voted 60-57 in favor of this measure late Tuesday night. (The House needed 60 votes to pass it.) The Illinois Senate voted 30-29 in favor of this tax hike in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. (The Senate needed 30 votes to pass it.)

These votes were ushered through by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) without a single Republican vote in favor. According to the Chicago Tribune, Governor Pat Quinn (D) is “happy” about the passage of these tax increases and is expected to sign the bill into law in the near future.

This lame duck session of the Illinois General Assembly ends today at noon.

We have one last chance to communicate to Governor Quinn about this anti-family proposal which will take much needed resources away from our family budgets to feed the ever increasing and insatiable demands of our growing state government.

Click HERE to urge Governor Quinn to VETO SB 2505. Tell him we do not have a tax problem — we have a spending problem!

Look at the chart below to see how your state representative voted, or you can download it by clicking HERE. To see how your state senator voted, click HERE.

**Please note: All state legislative seats will be up for election in 2012.

How did they vote?

For a second time in the past few weeks, lawmakers in the Illinois House of Representatives reject a bill to legalize “medical” marijuana, this time by a vote of 56 YES and 60 NO.

Thanks in part to your calls, emails and faxes, this bill has been defeated! It also must be noted that Illinois’ law enforcement community strongly opposed SB 1381. Former Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline along with the president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the president of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and other key law enforcement officials pleaded with legislators to vote against this anti-family bill.

See how your State Representative voted byclicking HERE. (To see how your State Senator voted, click HERE.)

How did they vote?

Thirty-two state senators vote to pass same-sex “civil unions” legislation.

Homosexual activists mustered enough votes to legalize a new category of marriage — homosexual “marriage” — under the name “civil unions” early Wednesday afternoon. Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn has pledged to sign SB 1716 after the state Senate approved it by a vote of 32 to 24.

Seven pro-family state senators had the courage to challenge this anti-family legislation on the Senate floor during debate, including Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora), Dan Duffy (R-Barrington), Kyle McCarter (R-Decatur), John Jones (R-Mt. Vernon), Tim Bivins (R-Dixon), David Syverson (R-Rockford), and William Haine (D-Alton).

State Senators David Koehler (D-Pekin), Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa), Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), Heather Steans (D-Chicago), and Mike Noland (D-Elgin) spoke in favor of the bill’s passage.

This bill now goes to Governor Pat Quinn who made a campaign pledge to sign it into law.

See how your state senator voted by clicking HERE.

How did they vote?

Sixty-one state lawmakers in the Illinois House cave into pressure from Gov. Patrick Quinn and Speaker Michael Madigan.

Despite an outpouring of calls, emails and faxes against redefining marriage and family, legislators in the Illinois House passed SB 1716 on Tuesday evening by a vote of 61 to 52.

Only two pro-family lawmakers, Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Highland) and Rep. David Reis (R-Olney) — both from downstate — had the courage to challenge this anti-family legislation on the House floor during debate while nine pro-homosexual lawmakers (2 Republicans and 7 Democrats) made emotional manipulative appeals for the bill’s passage.

This bill now moves over to the Illinois Senate where it is expected to pass.

See how your state representative voted by clicking HERE.

On the national level, the November 2nd midterm elections were historic. The Republicans gained at least 61 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. It may rise to 64 or 65 seats when undecided races are finally decided. This is the largest shift in the House in a midterm election in nearly a century.

As for the 19 U.S. Congressional seats here in Illinois, Republicans are now in the majority, winning 11 of those seats. This includes incumbent wins by Peter Roskam (6th), Judy Biggert (13th), Timothy Johnson (15th), Don Manzullo (16th),Aaron Schock (18th), and John Shimkus (19th).

Adding to their ranks are 5 new Republicans, including Joe Walsh who upset incumbent Melissa Bean in the 8th; Robert Dold who prevailed over Dan Seals for the open seat in the 10th;Adam Kinzinger who trounced incumbent Debbie Halvorson in the 11th; Randy Hultgren who defeated incumbent Bill Foster in the 14th; and Bobby Schilling who won a surprise victory against incumbent Phil Hare in the 17th.

In the U.S. Senate, Republicans gained at least six seats — including Illinois’ liberal Republican Mark Kirk.

Voter unrest on display at tea parties and town halls for months foreshadowed victories in Congressional districts from coast to coast, in U.S. Senate contests from the Sunshine State through the Badger State, and in down ticket races across the country. As a result, Republicans now have 239 seats to the Democrats’ 187 in the U.S. House with 9 races yet to be determined.

That is the good news.

The picture in Springfield is considerably different. The so-called red “tsunami” that washed over that nation in the General Election barely created a puddle for the Illinois General Assembly.

In the Illinois State Senate the Democrats lost 2 incumbents. This will change the ratio to 35 Democrats and 24 Republicans. This might not seem like a lot, but it does remove the super majority that the Senate Democrats have enjoyed for the past two years.

In the Illinois State House, Republicans picked up 6 seats. This will change the ratio to 64 Democrats and 54 Republicans.

But perhaps the most consequential results of the 2010 General Election are Patrick Quinn’s apparent win for Governor and the retention of Thomas Kilbride to the Illinois State Supreme Court — which re-secures the Court’s balance of power for the Democrats (4-3). As a result, the Democrat Party of Illinois, specifically their leaders — Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), Senate President John Cullerton(D-Chicago), Governor Patrick Quinn (D-Chicago) and the Democratically controlled State Supreme Court –will have full control over drawing new legislative maps* for Illinois for the next decade. These new legislative districts will most certainly favor Democratic candidates and will inevitably lead to additional gains for Democrats in the years to come.

The picture may not be perfectly clear, but I can tell you that Illinois Family Institute and pro-life and pro-family advocates will have our work cut out for us at the state capitol for the foreseeable future.

*Redistricting happens every 10 years as a result of the Census population data. The U.S. Supreme Court requires that political districts be drawn to follow the constitutional mandate that provides equal weight to every person’s vote.

by John Bambenek – Illinois Family Institute

The ability of voters to recall corrupt or ineffective governors was a hot topic in the days after the arrest of Rod Blagojevich. Voters will get the chance to adopt an amendment that purports to give citizens this right. I support recall. The public needs a means to fire public servants who no longer serve the public. However, I will be voting no on the recall amendment in November. The reason is simple; this amendment is a sham.

In order for citizens to initiate a recall election, they need to collect about 550,000 signatures from voters in 150 days (15% of the number of votes in the last governor election). In reality, it should be double that to deal with the inevitable signature challenges and court fight to throw out signatures. That, however, isn’t the worst provision.

Before a single signature can be gathered, an affidavit signed by at least 20 State Representatives (10 Republicans, 10 Democrats) and at least 10 State Senators (5 Republicans, 5 Democrats) needs to be filed with the Secretary of State. You see, in Illinois, politicians will let you hold them accountable only when they think it is ok.

To show you how absurd this is we can examine the lay of the land during the Blagojevich administration to see if this recall would have worked. After Rod was arrested, every legislator was stumbling over themselves to impeach the governor and they did it far faster than 150 days.

Before he was arrested, however, you would have been hard pressed to get 10 Democratic State Representatives to sign an affidavit for a recall. You most certainly would not have gotten 5 Democratic State Senators. You might not even get the Republicans.

Gathering over a million signatures is no easy prospect with no assurance of being successful. During the time a recall petition was undertaken, those legislators would be exposed to every manner of retaliation at the disposal of the governor’s office. You would have to get 30 state legislators, many of whom epitomize the definition of timidity, to stick their necks out on a difficult process that may not be successful.

In short, this recall amendment would have been useless to get rid of Rod Blagojevich. If we couldn’t have recalled Rod with it, what good is it?

Adding the legislator affidavit was a “compromise” because politicians were afraid that voters might actually avail themselves of the recall process for reasons they did not deem valid. To put it another way, politicians felt the affidavit provided an “important” check and balance against citizen action. You read that correctly; our Illinois politicians are so afraid of citizen action they introduced a constitutional amendment to actually check the power of the voters and subject it to their discretion.

What makes this an even more laughable position is that the recall amendment can only be used against the governor. Of the 18 states that already have this process (with some states having it over a century) it has only led to recall elections twice against a governor. In one case, the governor was impeached before the recall. The latest instance was Gray Davis in California who was equally a disgrace. Illinois will be the only state to have recall that is subject to the discretion of the state legislature.

I believe in recall, it is an important tool to hold politicians accountable but this recall amendment is a sham and a disgrace. It was designed to give voters the appearance of reform. By the time we come around to actually try to use it, we will discover the con job too late. Join me in November in voting no on this preposterous amendment so we can push for a real recall amendment and real accountability in Springfield… accountability not requiring us to get a permission slip from our legislators to use.

by John Bambenek – Illinois Family Institute

Have you ever been frustrated by the actions of your city council? Are you dissatisfied with the direction your local schools are going? Have you ever considered running for local office?
Many of the decisions that affect our daily lives are made by local government officials. In many ways, it is just as important to have good local political leaders as it is having good Congressmen.

Right now, all eyes are on the November election and for good reason. However, the next municipal election is scheduled for April 2011. Petitions have to be filed for many of these local offices by November 22nd. It’s unfortunate that in Illinois politics never sleep, but we have to find good candidates for these local offices now. More importantly, we need to find those good people who would run but are reluctant due to a lack of resources.

The Illinois Local Government Project is a resource designed to assist concerned taxpayers in running for local offices such as city councils, school boards, park boards and township offices. Many times, concerned taxpayers want to run for office and make a difference but find little help in actually making a campaign happen.

The effort will equip interested candidates with key guidance in the petitioning process to get on the ballot, guidance in how to campaign, assistance with messaging, and connections to other service providers and potentially donors.

You can find out more and sign up with us at: http://www.illinoislocalgovernment.org

If you know someone who you think would make a good local officeholder or wish to run yourself, get in contact with the Illinois Local Government Project. We can help you get in office and bring good government to your hometown!

Together we can make a difference!

Yesterday, a divided Illinois Supreme Court denied a request by the Thomas More Society to transfer the legal case pending against the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995 from the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court. Justices Robert R. Thomas and Thomas L. Kilbridedissented from the order denying the transfer.

“We’re obviously disappointed with this ruling, but we remain committed to doing everything we possibly can to bring these appeals to a speedy and positive conclusion,” said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society. “The latest constitutional attack on this law by the American Civil Liberties Union was deemed legally meritless and tossed out of court by both a federal appeals court and a Cook County trial court, and yet the Attorney General agreed — inexplicably and without any legal basis — that the enforcement of parental notice should still be stayed, that is, suspended pending the outcome of the ACLU’s appeal.”

With the transfer motion denied, the proceedings will continue in the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, where Thomas More Society attorneys are due to file their opening appeal brief on Friday.

IFI urges you to keep this situation in prayer.

Last week we sent you an IFI E-Alert asking you to contact Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to ask her to support the Thomas More Society’s motion to immediately transfer the legal case regarding the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act from the Illinois Appellate Court to the Illinois Supreme Court.

This week, despite receiving thousands of phone calls, faxes and emails, Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined the ACLU in opposing the motion to transfer the case to the Supreme Court.

Arguing that pregnant minors at risk for abortion suffer harm every day that the Act is not enforced, the Society invoked the Supreme Court rule allowing transfer of an appeal when the “public interest requires prompt adjudication.” The pending appeal, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is currently in the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, where a decision may not come for a year or more.

The fate of the motion now rests in the hands of the Illinois Supreme Court, where “the Supreme Court or a Justice thereof may order that the appeal be taken directly to it.”

Send an email or a fax to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to politely express your dismay at the fact that she sided with the ACLU in this case, despite the fact that her office is constitutionally obligated to defend all Illinois laws, including the Parental Notice Act.

Click HERE to read the Thomas More Society’s reply in opposition to the Attorney General’s and ACLU’s effort to block the expedited transfer of the parental notice case from the Appellate Court.

This afternoon, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of making false statements or representations to the FBI.

After 14 days of deliberation the jury said it was hung on 23 other counts against him and on the charges against the former governor’s brother, Robert Blagojevich. 

It is more than apparent to those of us who closely watch the political scene here in Illinois that there are problems regarding not only politicians, but Illinois government which go far beyond the impeachment, trial and conviction of Rod Blagojevich. Character matters. From Dan Walker to Otto Kerner to George Ryanwho is now serving time in a federal prison, corruption seems to be an ingrained part of politics and government business in the state of Illinois. It must be rooted out. 

But as Christians, our first reaction to Rod Blagojevich’s conviction should be to pray for his young daughters and the devastation of knowing their father is headed to prison. We also need to keep the former governor in prayer, as it would appear that the Lord is humbling and chastening Rod Blagojevich, despite the fact that the former governor continues to proclaim his innocence and repeat the line the he “did nothing wrong.” The question is, when will he heed the call to repent? We need to pray that Rod would seek to draw closer to God and His Truth through this sad experience and the hard times ahead. 

Though he did wrong, the staff and board of directors at IFI will pray that God will come into his life and he will accept the forgiveness He made available to all of us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that this experience will help bring an end to systemic corruption which permeates Illinois politics. 

Subsequently, Blagojevich’s impeachment and conviction, though personally devastating, may be a good thing in the long run for Illinois politics and Illinois families.

“Bad men cannot make good citizens. 
A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom.”
~Patrick Henry