McHenry County Blog

This morning on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times is the headline,

“CARDINAL DEFIES OBAMA ON BIRTH CONTROL”

All capital letters.

This comes one day after the Chicago Tribune reported Obama’s popularity in Illinois has improved since last fall.

One might ask, “How’s that trend coming?”

In my analysis of why Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum won every county in the Missouri
primary, I suggested that the Catholic Bishop’s letter, read through his diocese the weekend before the election, might have motivate Catholics to go to the polls (even though it asked for letters).

How better to deliver a message to the President than to vote for the GOP candidate who is most Pro-Life?

It’s not just happening in the Joplin Catholic Church my brother-in-law attends.

At St. Thomas in Crystal Lake, I arrived early to register voters and heard part of the homily by Monsignor Daniel Hermes.

He was talking about the controversial decision by the Obama Administration.

I didn’t catch the exact words in the first part of the sentence, but the thrust was that he could see something good coming out of “all the stupid stuff coming out of the Federal government now.”

Immediately after, John McFadden, a teen in the congregation spoke movingly of his trip to Washington to take part in the Pro-Life march. He said he wanted to be able to tell his children that “when I was a kid I stood up for something.”

Parishioners fill the pews at this five o’clock service. I was told it was because the Super Bowl was the next day.

When I inquired if the youth spoke at every service, the Monsignor told me that there was a different teen speaking at each mass.

This was the second shot at the President at St. Thomas in two week.

The following letter from Rockford Diocese Bishop Thomas Doran was read the weekend before.

He writes of  “an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religion liberty for all citizens.”

Doran points out that about 25% of Americans are Catholic.

He identifies the objectionable mandate as being forced to provide “sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception.”

The Bishop says that unless the ruling is overruled Catholics will have to either violate their consciences or “drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so).”

Among those penalties would be the forcing of Catholic citizens to buy health coverage containing the objectionable “services.”

“We cannot–and we will not–comply with this unjust law.  People of faith cannot be made second-class citizens.”

There’s more, of course, some along the lines of the Missouri Bishop’s letter.

The point to be made is that this was part of a one-two punch in Crystal Lake.

The Chicago Cardinal’s roundhouse makes three.

Brian Kelly (bkelly@patriotsunited.com), President of Patriots United sends the following:

With the recent events from the Obama Administration regarding the directive to The Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) and more importantly the response by the US Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Bishop Doran’s notice [see below, click to enlarge] that was read by parishes throughout the Rockford Diocese, we are adjusting our program this Saturday to provide our guests with take away points on how to best activate in lobbying our elected officials on the HHS mandate.

I’ve also received notice that three US Congressmen will be attending our event.

• Congressman Randy Hultgren (the new 14th district which contains McHenry County),
• Congressman Joe Walsh (current Congressman for most of McHenry County and is now running in the 8th district, and
• Congressman Peter Roskam who has yet to finalize his attendance.

Congressman Don Manzullo will be attending a critical event in his new district which takes him to central IL.

Monsignor Daniel Hermes, Pastor of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Crystal Lake, will be giving the invocation.

Also in attendance will be

• State Senator Pam Altoff
• State Senator Dan Duffy
• State Rep Mike Tryon

and candidates for State Rep.

• Barb Wheeler,
• Danielle Rowe,
• David McSweeney

plus State Senate Candidates

• Karen McConnaughay and
• Cliff Surges.

There is also a host of County officials running for re-election, States Attorney Lou Bianchi and others as well.

Numerous faith based ministries will be exhibiting including:

• Knights of Columbus McHenry Chapter
• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
• 1st Way Pregnancy Center
• Illinois Family Institute
• McHenry and Lake County Right to Life
• International House of Prayer
• Exodus Cry

Click to enlarge.

In the mean-time if you want more details on how to get involved regarding the HHS and to contact your elected officials, the USCCB has a GREAT program that was recently added to their web site. Your letter will be automatically delivered to the elected officials who represent you based on your home address. You can access this at the following address: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protect.

You can also order tickets to this event on line at www.patriotsunited.com

Tickets are closing out fast so I you plan to intend please order your tickets soon.

The Church has Awakened and the Saints are marching in…..

Saturday Congressman Randy Hultgren talked to Bishop Thomas Doran (on the left) and another pirest whose name I do not know.

An email from Congressman Randy Hultgren:

Last week we learned that the United States’ credit rating is at risk of a downgrade by another ratings agency before the end of 2011. This is a stark reminder of the consequences of the Senate’s failure to pass the Cut, Cap and Balance Act approved by the House in July. I believed then – and still believe now – that the commonsense Cut, Cap and Balance Act was the only way to preserve our nation’s sterling credit rating.

If you agree with me and would like to have your opinion heard on a Balanced Budget Amendment, visit America Speaking Out.

The biggest news out of the Capitol last week was a huge victory for job creators as the House came together in a strong, bipartisan manner to repeal the onerous 3 percent withholding tax, which was yet another job-crushing burden aimed at the business community.

Much like the costly ’1099 requirement’ that we repealed earlier this year, the 3 percent withholding rule would have imposed substantial new burdens on already cash-strapped employers, hindering cash flows, and further obstructing job creation. President Obama has already indicated that he will sign this legislation, so I urge the Senate to act quickly.

I was saddened to hear of the passing of a friend and former colleague this week, State Senator Wendell Jones. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and family during this difficult time.

If you haven’t already, be sure to like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or check out my YouTube page to stay informed on everything I’m doing on your behalf in Washington and in Illinois.

As always, it is truly an honor to serve you in Washington. Please contact me at 630.232.7104 or 202.225.2976 if I can be of assistance, or if you’d like to share your thoughts on the issues before Congress.

In service,

Randy Hultgren

Member of Congress

Video of the Week

Click here or on the photo above to watch Congressman Randy Hultgren speak out on the Senate’s failure to pass the Cut, Cap and Balance Act and how it could lead to a further downgrade of the United States’ sovereign credit rating.

Coming Up in Washington

Some of the bills the House is planning to consider this week:

• H.R. 1002- Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2011
• H.R.1070- Small Company Capital Formation Act of 2011
• S. 894 - The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011
• H.R. 2940 – Access to Capital for Job Creators Act
• H.R. 2930 – Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act

Mass was celebrated at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Crystal Lake. A setting sun reflects the saint's image.

Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church began the day for those attending the first McHenry County Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

Jeff Ladd, Jr., offered one of the prayers.

Boulder Ridge Country Club was the next destination.

Down Randall Road to Miller Road the cars drove.

The place was packed.

Over 500 people by one estimate.

Randy Hultgren posed with GOP Committeemen Bob Borchart and Joyce Story. Hultgren knocked on doors in Story's McHenry precinct last weekend. Please identify the woman on the left.

After the welcome by event chairman Fred Wickham and a prayer by Msgr. Daniel Hermes, breakfast was served.

A prayer for our country’s leaders, out nation and families was offered by Jeff Ladd, Jr.

There were politicians courting votes.

Both Congressman Randy Hultgren and Joe Walsh were in attendance.

Joe Walsh, accompanied by campaign aide Andy Nelms before the program began.

The two are Pro-Life.

The sanctity of human life was one of the topics of the main speaker, Raymond Cardinal Burke.

Another was birth control.

The Cardinal spoke at length.

The Cardinal’s biography identifies him as “one of the foremost authorities on Roman Catholic cannon law.

“Raymond Cardinal Burke leads with an unwavering passion for the integrity of Catholic doctrine embodied in the words of Jesus Christ,” it continues.

The Cardinal was born in 1948 in Richland Center, Wisconsin.

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

Ordained by Pope Paul VI in 1975 in Rome, one of his first assignments was teaching religion at Aquinas High School in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

After studying canon law at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he became the first American to hold the position of Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church’s supreme court.

He now serves Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, to which post he was appointed in 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Brian Burch

McHenry County’s local prelate, Rockford-based Bishop Thomas Doran, helped celebrate the Mass and gave a talk at the breakfast.

Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.org, also spoke to the group. It’s a lay movement of committed Catholics who “are passionate about living our the truths proclaimed by Christ and His Church in the modern world.”

Issues promoted include

• the dignity of the human person from conception until natural death
• the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman
• religious freedom for all people

Anne Majewski

But, back to political figures in McHenry County.

Candidate for Coroner Anne Majewski was in an exuberant mode.

I saw a photo of Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley.

From the program, I see that County Board member Nick Provenzano played a role.

So did County Board candidate Mary Alger.

County Board member Barbara Wheeler, who is running for State Representative, was caught posing with Patriots United Brian Kelly and Judge Michael Chmiel.

Joe Wheeler, his wife, State Rep. candidate Barb Wheeler and Circuit Judge Mike Chmiel attended the breakfast.

You see Jean Bianchi with Rosemary and Bob Blazier in the photo below, so I assume State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi was also present.

Standing to the left of a woman I don't know is Jean Bianchi ,the wife of McHenry County's State's Attorney. Sitting are former Crystal Lake District 47 Grade School Superintendent Bob Blazier and his wife Rosemary.

Below is a list of the members of the Board of Directors of the prayer breakfast.

The people responsible for putting on the event.

I see “Cardinal Mundeline” commenting on Dan Johnson-Weinberger’s Illinoize post entitled,

“Our common purpose: Meeks, black students and New Trier education“

suggests this action by the Chicago Catholic Schools:

“Maybe the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago should close down for the 1st week of school and enroll all their students in the Chicago Public School System and see how much money they save the taxpayers.

“The Private schools save tax money and stop overcrowding. They also provide a good quality education for less money than the per pupil amount at New Trier.”

I don’t know about Cardinal George, but when I made that suggestion Rockford’s Bishop Thomas Doran while visiting him with the Heartland Institute’s Joe Bast, I didn’t get the answer that would have put pressure on state legislators to subsidize private schools.

While watching Channel 5′s coverage of the story, there was an interview of a high school student. Wise beyond his years, he suggested that the money should be allocated to each child.

I think his words were, “The money should follow the child.”

That sounds so very much like what Bast and I were promoting in Rockford in the 1990′s.

I see “Cardinal Mundeline” commenting on Dan Johnson-Weinberger’s Illinoize post entitled,

“Our common purpose: Meeks, black students and New Trier education“

suggests this action by the Chicago Catholic Schools:

“Maybe the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago should close down for the 1st week of school and enroll all their students in the Chicago Public School System and see how much money they save the taxpayers.

“The Private schools save tax money and stop overcrowding. They also provide a good quality education for less money than the per pupil amount at New Trier.”

I don’t know about Cardinal George, but when I made that suggestion Rockford’s Bishop Thomas Doran while visiting him with the Heartland Institute’s Joe Bast, I didn’t get the answer that would have put pressure on state legislators to subsidize private schools.

While watching Channel 5′s coverage of the story, there was an interview of a high school student. Wise beyond his years, he suggested that the money should be allocated to each child.

I think his words were, “The money should follow the child.”

That sounds so very much like what Bast and I were promoting in Rockford in the 1990′s.

It just occurred to me that there is a local angle to the call of the Rev. and St. Sen. James Meeks

(Ind.-, then D-Chicago, then running for governor, then not)

for Chicago children to apply for admittance to suburban schools on the first day of class.

I suggested a similar tactic to Rockford Catholic Bishop Thomas Doran.

Joe Bast, head of the Heartland Institute, and I met with Doran in the mid-1990′s to solicit his support for portable scholarships for Illinois students. You might refer to such scholarships as “vouchers.”

He was favorably inclined, as you might imagine. The grasp of the political process he demonstrated led me to think it was similar to what a ward committeeman might have.

I suggested immense pressure could be brought to bear on the legislators who would have to approve such legislation by merely sending the parochial school students to the public school they would otherwise attend.

Imagine how school boards and administrators might react if all Catholic grade school sent all of its students to the public school they would otherwise legally attend.

Think of what the reaction might be if all students from Crystal Lake’s St. Thomas, the Apostle, School showed up at West, South, North, Coventry, Canterbury, Glacier Ridge, and Indian Prairie Elementary Schools.

Multiply that statewide.

Maybe the transfer students could be pried in, but the action would definitely cause serious problems.

And any problems would be more than the one day of publicity that Meeks is promoting.

Bisphop Doran’s reaction was one of concern for his students.

It was something like, “We can’t do that. It would hurt the students.”

How different is that approach to what Meeks is promoting.

To their credit not all of Chicago’s inner city ministers are not lining up behind Meeks.

Meeks has floated an open enrollment process

What’s that?

“…allowing students to attend any public school in the state regardless of whether it is part of the school district where they live.”

If only Meeks had the courage to introduce and advocate a portable scholarship plan!

Then, private schools would start near the public schools. You can buy a lot of private school education for the $10,000 a year Chicago Public Schools spend.

Chicago schools would have the ability to compete for the favor of the students’ parents.

And we know what competition does.

Chicago schools could hardly get worse.

= = = = =
The Chicago Sun-Times headline from two years ago shows, State Senator James Meeks is adroit at getting headlines.

It just occurred to me that there is a local angle to the call of the Rev. and St. Sen. James Meeks

(Ind.-, then D-Chicago, then running for governor, then not)

for Chicago children to apply for admittance to suburban schools on the first day of class.

I suggested a similar tactic to Rockford Catholic Bishop Thomas Doran.

Joe Bast, head of the Heartland Institute, and I met with Doran in the mid-1990′s to solicit his support for portable scholarships for Illinois students. You might refer to such scholarships as “vouchers.”

He was favorably inclined, as you might imagine. The grasp of the political process he demonstrated led me to think it was similar to what a ward committeeman might have.

I suggested immense pressure could be brought to bear on the legislators who would have to approve such legislation by merely sending the parochial school students to the public school they would otherwise attend.

Imagine how school boards and administrators might react if all Catholic grade school sent all of its students to the public school they would otherwise legally attend.

Think of what the reaction might be if all students from Crystal Lake’s St. Thomas, the Apostle, School showed up at West, South, North, Coventry, Canterbury, Glacier Ridge, and Indian Prairie Elementary Schools.

Multiply that statewide.

Maybe the transfer students could be pried in, but the action would definitely cause serious problems.

And any problems would be more than the one day of publicity that Meeks is promoting.

Bisphop Doran’s reaction was one of concern for his students.

It was something like, “We can’t do that. It would hurt the students.”

How different is that approach to what Meeks is promoting.

To their credit not all of Chicago’s inner city ministers are not lining up behind Meeks.

Meeks has floated an open enrollment process

What’s that?

“…allowing students to attend any public school in the state regardless of whether it is part of the school district where they live.”

If only Meeks had the courage to introduce and advocate a portable scholarship plan!

Then, private schools would start near the public schools. You can buy a lot of private school education for the $10,000 a year Chicago Public Schools spend.

Chicago schools would have the ability to compete for the favor of the students’ parents.

And we know what competition does.

Chicago schools could hardly get worse.

= = = = =
The Chicago Sun-Times headline from two years ago shows, State Senator James Meeks is adroit at getting headlines.