Over 200 people showed up at Jack Franks’ Woodstock office on Route 47 last Saturday.

I had seen some emails about it, so drove past on our way home from the easy-to-park-in and human-sized Milwaukee airport.

I asked John O’Neill, one of the organizers, to provide me with a time line and here’s what he sent:

Below is the time line of events which transpired over the past couple of weeks and culminated in the big Prayer Vigil/Rally at Jack Franks’ office on Saturday.

Saturday, March 14 I received an email from my Knights of Columbus Council #1288 talking about HB2354 and that we had to stop it.

I went to the Illinois General Assembly site (ILGA.org) to see all of the details and was stunned to see that Jack Franks had signed-on as co-sponsor 2 days earlier (Thursday 3/12).

I wrote a letter to State Rep. Franks detailing my dismay at his co-sponsorship especially in light of the fact that he had given me the tired old line that,

“I personally oppose abortion but I support a woman’s right to choose.”

That letter was copied to all of the Pro-Life friends in my email address book.

On Monday (March 15th), I began receiving copied emails to State Rep. Franks ditto-ing my letter. Most had simply forwarded my email and added their own comments. Then a friend suggested we compile the contents of the letter into a full-page ad in the Northwest Herald.

We contacted Irene Napier and a group of conservative residents we had been corresponding with and the decision was made. I began designing the ad and shared it with the group of friends. After multiple revisions the ad was done. Irene and I brought it to the Herald, she and another friend made additional revisions, and on Sunday, March 22, the ad was published.

On Monday and Tuesday we had many people tell us that they had sent the ad or a copy of the ad to Franks and Beaubien along with a letter of disappointment in their co-sponsorship of the bill.

On Wednesday I was notified that Karen Verr was organizing a Prayer Vigil/Rally at Jack Franks’ office for Saturday at noon. I immediately copied all in my address book again. Thursday and Friday we continued calling and emailing to drum up support. We figured we would max-out at 50-100 people.

Saturday we showed-up for the Prayer Vigil/Rally and, as some were counting, found-out that there were well over 200 people there (211 was actual number I heard).

Thank God for the many Pro-Life people who, at the last minute dropped what they were doing and came out, into the cold in order to protest this terrible bill.

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