Mike Tryon
It was “just” a surplus property issue.
Should it take approval of the Illinois General Assembly to dispose of surplus property worth more than $1 million?
But House Bill 4744 was aimed by Crystal Lake State Representative Mike Tryon directly at the Democratic (and some regional Republican) Party politicians promoting turning maximum security Thomson Correctional Center into terrorist central.
How creative!
President Barack Obama, Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin think it is such a wonderful idea.
But, led by not-yet-nominated-for-U.S.-Senate Congressman Mark Kirk, Republicans, including Congressman Don Manzullo, in whose district the prison is located, attacked the idea, not once, but repeatedly. All over TV.
Liberals pooh-poohed the unreasonable fear of opponents. When Manzullo pointed out that the terrorists would likely be tried in Rockford, the Obama Administration rushed in with the alternative that the courtroom would be behind the prison’s walls.
Then the would-be Christmas airplane bomber turned out to be from Yemen, the same country as most of the Guantanamo terrorists President Obama wants to transfer to Northwestern Illinois.
Byron nuclear power plants as seen from Interstate 39, upwind from McHenry County.
That got me thinking about
those Byron nuclear power plants we see on our annual pilgrimage to the Springfield Old Capitol Art Fair.
A terrorist act there releasing radiation would float right over McHenry County.
Enter Tryon with his bill.
It got out of committee, indicating House Speaker Mike Madigan’s approval.
And, it passed overwhelmingly. 81 of 116 voting “Yes.”
If Bush had proposed moving Guantanamo prisoners to an unused prison in rural Illinois, Republicans would bend-over backward congratulating the decision and trumpeting the new jobs to be created. Pathetically typical.
Yes indeed the democrats always bring fresh new idea’s, chock-full of well through out intuition to Illinois… Good to see your crystal ball is working well!
What is “pathetically typical” is the tiresome refrain of blaming Bush. The reality is, Pres. Bush would not have brought the terrorists to Illinois. He’s the one who called them terrorists – not “criminals” or “extremists” – and he’s the one who put them in Gitmo. It took International Man to dream up the idea of bringing them to the US mainland, to read them their Miranda rights and to demand a criminal trial for the 9-11 mastermind within what should still be the shadow of the World Trade Center. And it took Dick Durbin and Pat Quinn to dream up the idea of selling the security of IL citizens for an illusory promise of “jobs” instead of sending to Thomson the (state) (criminal) prisoners the facility was built to house.
Welcome to Illinois………………
“The land of gansters, corrupt politicians and new home of terrorists”.
Hope there’s room on our roadway signs for that slogan?