News and Views is a twice-weekly column containing an assortment of interesting state, national and international political and financial information, opinions, candidate reviews, scheduled events, Tea Party information, meetings and press releases that we hope will interest you. We will now offer a special section segregating media bias and Hollywood bias to give the reader a better idea of how prevalent it is.
SWEENEY OUT-RAISES OPPONENT 27-1
Susan Sweeney: “We have a message to deliver to Springfield…”
Candidate for State Representative Susan Sweeney (Park Ridge – R) filed her Quarterly report with the State Board of Elections showing almost $64,000 raised between April and June to support her candidacy for State Representative in the 55th District. Her opponent, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan raised $2,321 in the same period. Sweeney, a former IBM small business advisor, attributes the fundraising haul to her community’s commitment to delivering a message of opportunity and new leadership to Springfield.
“When I knock on doors in the 55th District, the response from teachers, civil servants, laborers, and small business owners alike is the same,” stated Susan Sweeney. “We have a message to deliver to Springfield: the failed economic policies of Governor Quinn and his cronies in the State legislature are driving hard-working families and jobs out of our state. People are fed up with career politicians and clearly haven’t forgotten about the 67% income tax increase passed early last year.”
Sweeney’s fundraising victory comes on the heels of a write-in primary campaign, which she won with over 2,200 votes. In the three months since her primary win, Sweeney’s grassroots organization has outgrown her home and now includes a staffed office with a volunteer base of hundreds.
Sweeney added, “We are determined to take back our government. That is the message my campaign is committed to and the 55th District has responded. Our fundraising performance is a reflection of that community engagement.”
For more information about Susan Sweeney visit http://www.susansweeney.net.
Roskam to Host Chicagoland Job Fair Monday : Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-6), along with Reps. Bob Dold (IL-10), Randy Hultgren (IL-14) and Joe Walsh (IL-08) will be hosting a Chicagoland Job Fair on Monday, July 23rd in Addison. The job fair is an opportunity for constituents to connect with over 100 area employers across industry groups—from manufacturing and finance to high-tech. Throughout the day, attendees can stop by free workshops on job search skills, interview techniques and the effective use of social media. Information can be found at: www.roskam.house.gov/jobfair
WHAT: Chicagoland Job Fair hosted by Reps. Roskam, Dold, Hultgren and Walsh
WHEN: Monday, June 23rd Doors Open at 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Medinah Banquets, 550 North Shriners Lane, Addison, IL
Britain’s Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Closing on Bomb, Predicts Israeli Attack
UK Spy Chief Says Israel Will Attack Iran, Iran Close to Nuclear Warhead
The head of Britain’s intelligence service, MI6, said this week that Iran will acquire a nuclear weapon by 2014 at the latest, and predicted Israel will likely strike before the Iranians acquire “all the technologies they need.” Sir John Sawers said it is “equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state.”
The head of Britian’s intelligence service warned that Iran will acquire a nuclear weapon by 2014 at the latest, and predicted a military strike may be the only way to prevent such a calamity. Sir John Sawers, head of Britain’s MI6, told a group of civil servants Friday that Iran is on the path to acquiring a weapon and predicted Israel will act to stop her.
“The Iranians are determinedly going down a path to master all aspects of nuclear weapons; all the technologies they need,” Sawers was quoted by London’s Telegraph.
Sawers said Israel likely will strike Iran before she acquires such a weapon, which he said could happen by 2014. Previously, Israeli intelligence sources have suggested that Iran may acquire the bomb, or the ability to make one quickly, sometime this year. Sawers apparently doesn’t buy establishment thinking that Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon is inevitable or acceptable.
It’s equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state, he said. Sawers also said MI6 played a key role in covert operations that stopped Iran from creating a nuclear weapon as early as 2008.
In the past two years, four key Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated. Iran has blamed Israel, Britain and the United States
for the killings.
Illinois Tea Party Events: The Northern Illinois Tea Party will meet at 6:30 pm on Thursday, 19 July, at Rockton Community Center, 302 West Main Street, Rockton, Illinois. The meeting will feature selected brief film clips on electoral and fiscal issues, and a presentation by Chad Kent, speaker on the Constitution, concerning recent Executive Orders and federal agency directives which raise questions about separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government.
The recent Supreme Court decisions on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and the Arizona law will be discussed. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the public is invited.
The Northern Illinois Tea Party serves local citizens by promoting fiscally responsible and accountable government, freedom of religion, a strong national defense, equal opportunity, personal responsibility and smaller, more constitutional, governments. Everyone is invited. For more information, contact Jane Carrell, coordinator, at 815-277-1144.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
THURS July 19, 6:30 pm – Monthly meeting of Northern IL Tea Party, featuring Chad Kent, speaker on constitutional issues. Recent presidential executive orders and federal agency directives raise questions about separation of powers. Doors open 6:00 pm. Public is welcome.
TUESJuly 24, 6:30 pm, Citizens for Better Government will show the Tom DeWeese video “Stop Agenda 21” at the Rock City Fire Station, 1 block north of Highway 75 on Rock City Road. Public is welcome.
THURS August 2, 6:30 pm –First Thursday Movie Night of Northern IL VOTERS FORUM, 6:30 pm, New Life Tabernacle Church, 5414 Reimer Drive, Roscoe, two doors east of Post Office. One hour films and discussion. Public is welcome.
Iran: Fears Over Nuclear Program Grow After U.S. Arrests
Last week’s stunning U.S. indictments over a plot to export U.S. technology for Iran’s nuclear program and new threats to close the Strait of Hormuz suggest that stepped-up efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program have failed to reduce the possibility of a military conflict. The size of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile – which could be converted into nuclear weapons fuel – will continue to grow, along with the near-term chances of an Israeli airstrike.
OXYMORON OF THE CENTURY
The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)/Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S.
Department of the Interior, asks us to “Please Do Not Feed The Animals. “They say that this is because the animals may grow dependent on handouts and not learn to take care of themselves. Thus endeth today’s lesson.
Syria: Conflicting Accounts of Alleged Massacre Hurt All Sides
The UN and the United States roundly condemned a massacre of Syrian civilians by the Syrian army in the town of Tremseh on July 12, but new reports suggest the attack may have been a battle between the Syrian army and armed rebel forces. The death toll also may be lower than previously reported. If these new reports are accurate, it would be another instance of the difficulty of determining the facts on the ground in what now appears to be a Syrian civil war.
Norway: Oil Strike Points to Large Price Movements During an Iranian Crisis
Norway’s government intervened last week to end an oil workers’ strike that had begun to significantly affect exports of crude. It was a predictable move, made to protect Norway’s reputation as a reliable energy exporter. But it is also, as LIGNET explains, an indication of how much the price of oil could increase in the event of a crisis with Iran.
India: Monsoon Season Could Lift Gold And Silver Prices
India’s government has long sought to curb its citizens’ appetite for gold and silver, which are integral parts of the nation’s culture. These precious metals are imported at extraordinarily high levels and are seen as “dead assets” that dry up foreign exchange that could be used to buy more productive imports. Higher duties have been placed on gold and silver to lower consumer demand, but if the monsoon rains soon reach normal levels, demand could once again spike upward.
Repeal, Repeal,Replace: Cong. Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14th)
We’ve voted many times now to partially repeal the ‘un-Affordable Care Act’- and this week, I proudly voted one more time to repeal it in full. Naturally, the next question is: what would I replace it with?
Below are just a few options which would be kinder to the economy and individual families than the current law:
- Allow the purchase of insurance across state lines. This would allow for more competition, and subsequently, lower prices. –House Resolution (H.R.) 371
- Reform lawsuit abuse. When frivolous or overly ambitious lawsuits are filed against doctors and hospitals, defensive medicine costs skyrocket, causing the cost of healthcare overall to go up. –H.R. 5
- Repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This an unelected, unaccountable panel of bureaucrats in charge of making health care decisions will ultimately lead to the denial of care for seniors. –H.R. 452
- Allow tax deductions for preventive health costs. Encourage commonsense actions, like memberships in fitness programs and weight loss programs, will mean huge savings on more serious conditions. –H.R. 2662
- Disclose information about hospital charges. Patients- and sometimes even doctors- often don’t know how much each test or service will cost them and their insurer until months after the fact. When prices are publicly available, it will put patients back in control. – H.R. 5800
My friend and colleague in Congress, Dr. Tom Price, has a comprehensive ‘repeal and replace’ bill with many more ideas.
Mexico: New President Poses Some Challenges to U.S.
Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto appears likely to pursue economic policies that will boost U.S.-Mexican relations, especially concerning the oil industry, according to LIGNET Senior Analyst Lisa Ruth. Peña Nieto’s policies on the drug war may pose some concerns to the United States, especially his recent statements that he would welcome a debate on drug legalization. Ruth believes allegations of irregularities in the presidential election were not unexpected and will not hurt Peña Nieto’s ability to govern.
Media & Hollywood Bias
Nasty Limbaugh is Behaving Like a Werewolf,’ Former Newsweek Editor Spews: Former Newsweek editor Howard Fineman on Monday lashed out at Rush Limbaugh as a “nasty” “werewolf” who is making the national discourse extreme. Hardball anchor Chris Matthews played a clip of the conservative radio star asserting that Barack Obama “hates” America. Fineman spewed, “So, if you have an establishment Republican [Romney] behaving like an attack dog, you’re going to have the Rush Limbaughs of the world behaving like werewolves.” According to Fineman, Romney “dragged the center of the gravity of the discussion over to the nasty realm which…brings what happens in talk radio and elsewhere in the conservative grassroots, legitimizes the nastiness that you’re seeing there.”
My, my, my Liberals don’t like it when the shoe’s on the other foot, do they. After all, they are the acknowledged experts at, and the only one’s entitled to engage in character assignation and dirty tricks.
Howard Kurtz Warns CNN – Liberal Double Standard Apparent ‘to Many’: Media critic Howard Kurtz warned CNN on Friday that “to many people” it looks like the media have a massive double standard in its campaign coverage of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. “[W]hen you combine all the stories, all the airtime, all the column inches, it looks to many people, I’ll just say this bluntly, like the press is giving much more aggressive scrutiny to Romney and his background than it ever gave to Barack Obama,” Kurtz told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Kurtz added that “to some,” the media sound like they are “echoing” the Obama campaign’s talking points.
What, did Ted Turner sell CNN and new hires include someone who isn’t blind to what Americans believe?
Sigourney Weaver to NBC’s Gregory: Dems About ‘The People’; GOP Just ‘Serving Big Business’: In an interview with Meet the Press moderator David Gregory for the Sunday show’s web-based feature Press Pass, USA’s Political Animals star Sigourney Weaver explained her support for President Obama: “…the Democrats are always going to be about what the people need. And the Republicans are much more serving big business, and I don’t think we can afford to serve big business for another four years with Mr. Romney.”
Weaver prefaced her slanted observation by admitting: “I’m not a professional politician, so forgive me if it’s very simplistic.” Gregory encouraged Weaver to discuss her liberal leanings, as he wondered: “What about President Obama? You’ve been supportive of him, you say you’d be supportive again. And I know that you told Politico that once a president gets a second term, the gloves come off and that a lot of us have sort of been waiting for that.” View the Video Here
Weaver reiterated: “I do think that if he gets four more years – you know, it’s been so frustrating for him and for a lot of his supporters – that I think he’ll just go for it. That’s my hope.” She later added that once Obama gets re-elected, “everyone’s going to go, ‘Alright we’re stuck, let’s get some things done that we need to, you know, get done.’”
Early in the interview, Gregory asked about the obvious comparison of Weaver’s character on the new USA series to Hillary Clinton: “I mean, this is very much the Clinton family story.” Weaver replied: “I must say that I love the idea that it is inspired by, not only the Clintons, but by a lot of the families who have been in the White House….I wouldn’t dream of trying to imitate or impersonate Hillary Clinton, whom I admire very, very much and I think she’s done an awesome job in every job she’s had.”
Gregory followed up: “Would you like to see Secretary Clinton run for the presidency again?” Weaver gushed: “I think that would be amazing. In four years, maybe we’ll be ready for her. She’s certainly ready for us.”
NBC’s Brian Williams Accuses FOX News of ‘jingoism’ for criticizing U.S. Olympic Uniforms: In a nasty rant at the end of last Thursday’s Rock Center on NBC, Nightly News anchor Brian Williams slammed the hosts of FNC’s morning show for daring to criticize the uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team: “Trouble on Fox & Friends. It started when the morning show crew mocked the new Ralph Lauren outfits….” After playing a clip of Gretchen Carlson being critical of berets being part of the uniform, Williams sneered: “The jingoism continued. Another host wondered why they couldn’t wear something more American, like baseball caps or cowboy hats. Until the viewer e-mails started pouring in, reminding them some real Americans, U.S. soldiers, are issued berets.”
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