McHenry County Blog

This is the second part of my reflections on the Appellate Court’s finding the prohibition against carrying guns to protect oneself outside the home to be unconstitutional.  The first part is here.

“Controversial” could be used to describe the 2002 campaign gubernatorial radio ad about my Personal Protection proposal. It was modeled off an NRA TV ad I saw in 1992 Traverse City at an American Legislative Exchange Council convention.

It featured a woman calling 911 saying, “Someone’s breaking into my home.”

The 911 operator asks typical questions as the woman shouts, “He’s in the house.”

She hangs up the phone and the listener hears her running upstairs.

He goes into her bedroom, slams the door and pushes some furniture in front of it.

She calls 911 again.

“He’s coming up the stairs. Help!

The 911 operator asks the same questions again.

“He’s breaking down the door.”

Then a shot rings out.

The announcer says, “When the police can’t get there soon enough, you need Cal Skinner’s Personal Protection Plan.” Then, “Cal Skinner for Governor. Change you can believe in.”

WGN-radio hosts apologized prior to running the ad, saying it was inappropriate.

Now, Alderman Howard Brookins, Chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus is quoted in the Sun-Times as saying he is not at all concerned concealed carry would turn inner-city neighborhoods into shooting galleries.

“Those people have a gun now. They’ve just been made criminals because they can’t legally have it. And the gang-bangers and thugs are gonna have a guy regardless.”

Now, let me tell you about Chicago two dinner companions I had at the Annual Conference of the Northern Illinois Conference of the Methodist Church.  Before the speaker at the Northern Illinois Conference Evangelical Association, I asked our African-American brothers if I could ask them a political question.

Having receive permission, I asked their opinion of concealed carry.

The first to answer was a retired Chicago Policeman who revealed that President George W. Bush had signed a bill that allowed him to carry his weapon. He said the Federal statute required him to take training, but that was no problem

The second man was an attorney. He was at least six feet tall.

He said he carried a gun.

He related seeing some “punks” coming down the sidewalk toward him.

He said he put his hand in his pocket and they crossed the street in order to avoid walking by him.

Yesterday afternoon, WBEZ’ afternoon interview program discussed the decision with a young upwardly mobile professional who lived in Bronzeville. The purpose of her being on the show was to preview the NPR story she had done, which was to be aired this morning.”

She said she didn’t know anyone who carried a gun.

Let me reveal one other interaction with a representative of the black community.

And, by “representative,” I mean State Representative.

We were voting on a bill to restrict gun rights in the Illinois House.

As the roll call was being taken a black representative walked across the aisle and told he he/she had to vote in favor of the bill, but hoped I would vote against it.

I wonder if that legislator will have more courage now that the Appellate Court decision has been rendered.

On the way to look for politics at the McHenry County Fair, I walked past this water fan. In the 90 degree heat, it was appreciated by all but those of use who wear glasses.

There were three political party booths at the McHenry County Fair:

• Republicans
• Democrats
• Libertarians

McHenry County Board member Ersel Schuster was at the Republican Party booth Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Gasser stopped by.

Sometimes the Republican Party booth was manned (or womaned, as is the case above).

Sometimes it wasn’t.

When a friend of McHenry County Blog took this photo on another day, the GOP booth was empty, except for posters and pamphlets.

No indication that there is a Presidential election this year in the GOP booth.

Libertarian Party stalwart Jim Young, who ran for State Rep. once against Rosemary Kurtz, was at the booth.

Libertarians had a booth again, too, even though the party has no candidates on the ballot this year.

While the GOP booth had not indication that Mitt Romney was running for office, neither does the Democratic Party have a poster for President Obama. Perhaps someone will be kind enough to identify who is at the table.

The final party was the Democratic Party of McHenry County.

It appears that the GOP is not the only part with insufficient county fair resources.

Sometimes it was unmanned, too.

Doug Marks

Below is an email from Carpenterbville Village Trustee Doug Marks.

He has filed 3,400 signatures to run for the State Senate on the Libertarian Party ticket against Republican primary winner Karen McConnaughay.

3,000 “good” ones are needed to make the ballot, so his margin was thin.

Today I received the following email from Marks:

Campaign Status

Well folks,

I apologize for the delay in sending out this correspondence but I wanted be sure that I was pursuing the right choice.

Though our efforts were exceptional, the parties in power who have created a matrix of failure for those who work outside their system, or are without financial independence, have used their exclusionary tactics to have sufficient objections against my petitions to exclude me from having ballot access. [Emphasis added.]

I don’t blame Karen or any of the GOP for using the system they put into place to exclude candidates that can beat the insider, pay 2 play, big government types but if Illinois expects to be a prosperous place to live these antics have to be ended.

After spending the past week pondering whether I should mount a write-in candidacy I still have not reached a decision. Just to put it out there, I am still willing to move forward with this campaign even though, without ballot access, the effort required has changed dramatically.

If there is the financial will to support this campaign I will move it forward.

To that, I estimate that I will require, at a minimum, commitments that will exceed $50k from those who wish this fight to reclaim our state to continue.

To date, I have received commitments for less than 1/3 of that which will not suffice.

So folks, the ball is in your court.

If I move forward or just walk away rides entirely upon the liberty minded individuals who will financially support the required advertising campaign I will need to become successful in November.

If you want this campaign to continue, contact me with your pledge or go directly to the campaign website’s donation link. The finality of this campaign will be determined by July 31st 2012.

Thank you,

Doug Marks
Libertarian Candidate
33rd Senate District of Illinois

http://DougMarks2012.webs.com

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Marks has a blog here.

Wonder why the Libertarians who went to the Illinois Republican Convention are dissatisfied with the folks who ran the Tinley Park gathering?

I couldn’t find a way to ask for permission to reprint the following, but I wanted you to have a chance to see why Ron Paul supporters are not happy with the GOP Establishment:

Ron Paul delegate appointment at the GOP convention…

Some Illinois residents on this board may have seen this story floating around.

As Parliamentarian for the Illinois Ron Paul campaign, I thought you guys might be interested in what really happened at the Illinois GOP convention.

About 85,000 Illinoisans voted for Ron Paul in the primary (about 10% of the electorate) and we wanted to appoint 6 delegates for the national convention out of 69 to represent those 85,000 (Illinois is winner take 57 and 12 are appointed at the convention).

In fact, we had 250 state Ron Paul delegates who were at the convention (20% of the delegates).

These state delegates all vote to appoint the national delegates at the coming national GOP convention.

It was me and a friend of mine (law students) against 8 Romney attorneys.

On Friday, the committee hosted an open meeting on selection of delegates but rejected our motion to put delegates up for a vote among the committee … but seeing as we had no committeemen and (it was all but impossible for a Ron Paul supporter to get on this committee… this all was expected. I informed the campaign as much.

The 250 Paul delegates attended the committee meetings but kept running up to me “saying, they did this, can they do that?”

With a heavy heart, I had to say yes every time. But I knew we had one shot on Saturday and we had our plan ready to go a week prior.

Saturday was the official convention where the delegates all voted.

And the speakers at the convention went on a tirade against Mike Madigan (who I agree rules by virtual fiat) and gave a presentation on how government in Illinois ices people out of the process in which Mike Bost spoke. You might remember him from this video that went viral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5lKk-Iq_sM&feature=related )… and so right AFTER that, this happened….

• –> the Ron Paul wing’s written motion to put up 6 Ron Paul delegates for a floor vote was ruled out of order because we had only 37 (we had 41 but they said 4 didn’t count) out of 50 signatures by Chairmen delegations

Let’s put that ruling into context…

• –> They refused to release the modified rules for putting forth motions until 11:20am
• –> We were required to make the motion at 11:20am
• –. The doors opened at 11:20am
• –> They modified the rules to require 500 photocopies of the motion be submitted (which we knew beforehand due to a brave patriot getting us an early copy)
• –> We submitted our motion to put up our delegate slate for a vote w/ every single requirement sans the signatures.
• –> They invalidated 4 signatures for some unexplained reason
• –> They had instructed everyone not to sign our motion and chairmen were afraid to sign our motion who otherwise would.
• –> Our motion (to put 6 out of 69 delegates for Ron Paul up for a majority vote)was ruled out of order based on not enough signatures.

How is someone supported to make 500 photocopies of a motion at 11:20 am when the doors open and ruled are released at 11:20am?

Why do 500 photocopies of the motion need to be submitted?

Had the motion been entered, a delegate would have been allowed the opportunity to debate it on the floor and this all would have been on the record.

This was one of two walkouts at the Illinois Republican Convention in Tinley Park. I don't know whether it was because of the rejection of the Ron Paul delegates' desire for 10% of the at-large delegates or the failure to consider direct elections of State Central Committeemen (and the addition of elected State Central Committeewomen). The sign is for Evanston Township.

I will let you draw your own conclusions about the process.

When the doors opened at 11:20am, we RAN to the front of the hall in front of 1,000s of delegates to present our motion.

They immediately asked us for the 500 copies and it was great knowing the look on their face when they found out we actually had the 500 copies.

This meant they had to consider the motion and had to be on the record objecting to it.

They even denied it verbally on record and did so after their anti-Madigan tirade.

We now have a paper trail of this.

= = = = =

Politics ought to be a game of addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division.

Being allocated 10% of the at-large delegates does not seem like an unreasonable expectation to me.

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Thanks to Dave Diersen’s GOPUSA Illinois for pointing me to this content.

While the teen were exploring other parts of the McHenry County Fair on Friday, I went looking for things political.

Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks’ tent was first.  It was closest to the free parking.

Jack Franks staffer Parker Happ mans the Jack Franks tent, smiling as he did last year when my photo was good enough to end up on his Facebook’s front page.

Then,  I saw the Sheriff’s Department’s Crime Stoppers Trailer.

This Sheriff’s Department trailer was parked behind the arena.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s booth was at the front of the first building I entered, although Sheriff Keith Nygren had not yet arrived.

The Sheriff’s Department has a double booth just as one enters one of the display buildings.

McHenry County Citizens for Choice was way around the corner.

Marian Michaels, Dee Many and Toby Levin were staffing/visiting the McHenry County Citizens for Choice booth.

The McHenry County Republican Party booth was down the aisle to the right. My second time around I found Jack Franks’ staffer conversing with the folks behind the table.

Eric Peterson, Glenda Miller and Pam Palmer talk with Jack Franks’ staffer Parker Happ.

I found the Sheriff’s Department had a second booth location to the right of the main one.

This McHenry County Sheriff’s booth was unmanned when I walked by.

In the next building, the Libertarian Party booth was the first I saw.

Jim Young, who ran for State Rep. as a Libertarian, was asking people to put pennies into the jar which best represented their beliefs about the national debt.

Into which jar would you put a penny supplied by the Libertarian Party?

Most pennies were in the “Cut Spending” jar.

Next door was the best political story.

The negative reaction of a modeling agency, which was across the aisle, and a County Fair Official’s reported reaction to a complaint was the best story I found.  The complaining booth workers got another location.

The booth was called “Peter’s Net.” Those in it were clearly Catholics and they were explaining how Catholics were Pro-Life.

There were models of how large a baby was at various lengths of gestitation. This man was closely examining the part of the display at the early end of pregnancy.

Here’s a closer look at the models.

I particularly like the baby in God’s hands.

The booth renter across the aisle, described as a “modeling agency” complained about the medical models to Fair Officials. One came and, I’m told, said that the display might not be allowed next year.

The models at the other Pro-Life booth.

Since I vividly remember a similar display from 2000 at the McHenry County Right-To-Life organization, I have a hard time understanding such logic, assuming the story that reached my ears was correct.

It certainly makes no economic sense for the Fair, since another Catholic group, renting three or four spaces–as many as the Sheriff’s Department–also had in utero models.

Maybe it was the message on the button saying, “It’s a child, not a choice” that bothered the folks across the aisle or maybe the models were drawing too much attention from the young girls the complaining booth was targeting.

Just around the corner was the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee’s booth.

Terry Kappel and John Darger were staffing the Democrats booth.

They had an intimidating American history quiz that they were encouraging people to take.  I was told Jack Franks wouldn’t take it.

This “Hands Off my Medicare” sign was on the side of the Democrats’ booth.

I hesitated, read the questions on the front page and figured by 7th and 8th grade American history classes would stand me in good stead.  Then I started checking off the best answer.  I did find until I got to the national debt question.  It asked when the first debt ceiling had been passed.  That was not in any of the American history classes I took.  I won’t ruin the quiz. Suffice is to say that was my only wrong answer.

As I continued my political tour of the McHenry County Fair, I found a second large Pro-Life booth.

“Life is Sacred” is the largest print one sees as one approaches this booth from the south.

Young girls were looking at a display of baby booties and shoes called “Little Soles.”

“Little Soles” is the title of this Pro-Life display..

This is the other booth in which I found the in utero models seen above.

There is also a big banner proclaiming “Life Is Sacred” with a Bible quote.

The booth tee shirt.

Right across the aisle was the booth of the McHenry County Sportsman’s Association and the McHenry County Right to Carry Association.

With Illinois’ being the last state in the union where individuals are not allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves, the petition signatures gathered in past years may have been the reason that Jack Franks’ flipped from being opposed to being favor.

Barbara Wheeler, the only Republican candidate to have announced for the 64th State Representative District, talks with Anthony Lopez President of the McHenry County Sportsman’s Association at the booth his group and the McHenry County Right to Carry Association sponsored at the County Fair.

President Anthony Lopez was standing out front talking to Barb Wheeler, who was helping staff the booth. His wife Laura Rakers was behind the table with Richard Pere.

I went looking for Congressman Joe Walsh’s outpost.

Erin Westphal drew tent staffing duty for Congressman Joe Walsh.  At the Wauconda Town Hall Meeting, she was one bringing the microphone to those who want to ask questions or make statements.

It was on the midway in a corner tent.

I doubled back to the building with the Sheriff’s display in hopes of finding Sheriff Keith Nygren and was rewarded by his presence.

Sheriff Keith Nygren talking to two members of his staff.

I made another circuit and found Congressman Don Manzullo’s booth. Former Wonder Lake resident Marilyn Davis was behind the table.

Kathleen Davis was staffing Congressman Don Manzullo’s booth.

As I left the building, Nunda Township Republican Chairman Brent Smith and Sheriff Nygren were having a conversation.

On the way out, I saw John O’Neill, an announced candidate for McHenry County Board staffing the Ray Chevrolet tent.

If you get a card from the Illinois Tollway like the one below, calling the number listed (800-824-7277) is worthless.

Notice from the Illnois Tollway that credit card on record has been declined. Click to enlarge.

So, I call.

Back when I was running for Govenror on the Libertarian Party ticket, I outlined a plan for ending tolls. The guts of it was to allocate the gas taxes paid by vehicles using the Tollway to the agency, along with the Federal aid that comes every year because they are Interstates. This picture was taken at the Lake County hearing on hiking tolls that was held in 2002.

Two different recordings tell me I could accomplish what I want faster by logging on to the web site.

I wait.

Then I get into a loop that asks for my tollway “PIN.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember most PINs once I establish them. And I certainly am not going to use the one I can remember at a web site for the toll tax thieves.

I push zero and am told that is an invalid selection.

I get fed up and decide to write this article.

Now I’ll call the press person and, kind person she is, she’ll connect me with a real, live human.

Before Dave Brady moved to Wonder Lake, local Libertarians identified with the Fox Valley Libertarian chapter. It met and meets in northern Kane County.

With McHenry County being such a large county, Brady, from Pennsylvania, thought an independent party could be developed.

It was.

The McHenry County Libertarian Party County Fair booth featured jars with labels bearing various attitudes about government into which people could place tokens.

Each year the party had a McHenry County Fair Booth.

Monthly meetings were held.

But attendance at meetings was rarely over 20 and most members were not willing to assist financially.

The result was the spark plug family of Francine and Dave Brady decided to withdraw from the local party.

Since no one has stepped forward to pick up the leadership role, the party will stop holding monthly meetings.

What McHenry County presence that will remain is described in the email below:

“Thomas Tripp will be handling LP McHenry moving forward.

“The website is http://mchenrycountylibertarianparty.blogspot.com and can be found also at http://twitter.com/mclp.  The email address is socmclp@yahoo.com (but this could change).

“You can still find (it) on facebook and myspace.”

The Bradys still intend to remain active Libertarian Party members.

Former Quaker Oats lobbyist, now blogger and Sunday night WLS-Radio talk show host, Tom Roeser is endorsing Libertarian Julie Fox for State Comptroller.

Julie Fox

Julie was one of my running mates when I ran on the Libertarian Party ticker to Governor against Rod Blagojevich in 2002. She led the ticket, almost getting 5% of the vote.

One thing about Julie that is important for the office of State Comptroller. She is a CPA and actually qualified to hold the office.

Imagine that.

Roeser is still plenty worked up about Judy Baar Topinka’s role in convincing U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald from running for re-election. Fitzgerald, of course, picked Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation) to be our U.S. Attorney.

Roeser’s logic for supporting Dundee’s Julie Fox follows:

FOR CONTROLLER—JULIE FOX (Libertarian Party). She’s a very bright CPA without a partisan axe to grind who passionately believes in latch-key abstemious government leading to a consolidation for efficiency of Treasurer and Controller.

Far preferable to the Republican candidate, Judy Baar Topinka, an old warhorse longtime pro-abort Catholic who is a regular rider in the Gay Pride parades blowing wet kisses to the crowds…who has been on the public payroll since 1980, having served with maximum pragmatism in the state House, state Senate, State Treasurer and now…because she can’t stand to miss a payday from the taxpayers, board member of the RTA.

Topinka is noted for refusing as State Republican Chairman to support Sen. Peter Fitzgerald when he was determining whether or not to run for a second term—her failure to do so being a stunning departure from tradition and clear notice that she was opposed to his signal efforts to make the party responsible by bringing in reform U. S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation).

County Libertarians, newly empowered by gaining ballot access for the first time since 2002,are holding their monthly meeting Thursday night from 7-9 at Route 14′s Colonial Cafe in Crystal Lake.

The group’s email says,

Social time starts at 7 pm and discussion begins at 7:30 pm.

Order dinner and join in a friendly time of discussion with fellow local libertarians.

The Libertarian Pary County Fair booth included jars into which one could cast votes for how well government is working. "Never" has the most glass tokens.

Also we’ll be discussing the up coming gun show and looking at potential candidates for the February primaries.

If you’re interested in running check with the county clerk for available open positions & boards in your area.

The February primaries mentioned are non-partisan in nature. School, community college, park district, fire protection district, municipal, etc., board members are elected next spring.

An email from the Illinois Libertarian Party appears below:

Illinois Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Survives Challenge, Seems to Have 33,545 Valid Signatures

The Libertarian Party statewide slate of candidates in Illinois submitted approximately 45,000 signatures at the end of June, but the petition was challenged.  The “binder check” process is now complete and the party seems to have 33,545 valid signatures, well above the legal requirement of 25,000.

(Libertarian Party was required to get 20,000 more signatures than the Republican and Democrat candidates because of the inequity in ballot access rules that the sitting powers to be created.)

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Republicans will not be happy with that.

In 1998, when Jim Tobin was the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, the Chicago Tribune ran an article after the fall election documenting that Secretary of State George Ryan’s people were used to challenge signatures while they were on the state payroll. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald did not see fit to make that one of the allegations in Ryan’s corruption trial.

In 2002, the Libertarian Party petitions containing my name for Governor were challenged as well. After the election, I was told that State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka’s employees participated in the challenge while on being paid.

This year, Libertarians didn’t find any state employees, but did identify relatives of Republican Party gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady working on the challenge.

Needless to say, Republicans don’t want Libertarians on the ballot anymore than Democrats want Greens.

One other party that would drain votes from Republicans, the Constitution Party, is reported to be closer to the 20,000 required number.