Kankakee Voices

Ever since G W bush was appointed by the Supreme Court via a lawsuit that stopped the vote counting in Florida to sit in the chair in the Oval Office, the way the government is suppose to operate has changed.

In today's America, the Government run by this administration and permitted by the lock step, ignore checks and balances Congress, keep secrets, ignore valid requests for sunshine on issues that effect us, and claim national security at every turn to keep requested documents in the dark. Even before 9/11. ie. Cheney's energy task force that detailed Iraqi oil fields and their sell off to private industry. But a hard fought court battle won by the White House guaranteed we the people would never know the full details. And what could possibly be in Presidents Reagan's and Bush 1's presidential papers that W felt needed to be kept from the American people and refused their release? They wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Iraq would they? This executive order was also enacted before 9/11.

So with the current government activities securely under lock and key, this administration moved rapidly to open up the records of, you guessed it, we the people.

With our eyes still filled with tears in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001, our government moved swiftly in the dead of night to protect us. The bush Administration had Congress pass the new armored iron gate for Americans, the Patriot Act.
Americans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. They rallied behind bush as if to be saying, "I'm not a terrorist, go ahead, search my bags, my car, my shoes, my library records, my medical records, so long as you are keeping me safe against the terrorists." I guess Americans needed their own personal assurance to prove to their government and neighbors that they indeed were Patriots and no threat to security.

It wasn't too long after all this, that our government taught us how to safely lock ourselves up in our homes with visquene and duct tape. We willingly gave up our tweezers, aerosol deodorant, knitting needles, disposable razors, Swiss Army knives, hair spray, or any personal use item a terrorist may use to hijack an airplane. We learned to stand obediently and quietly in long slow moving lines as our bodies are scanned by metal detectors and x-ray vision machines and our pockets searched by security personnel with a high school education be it at an airport or local museum.

We learned Who to call to report suspicious activity and what to look for. We were inundate with pictures of dark skinned, beard wearing men on the local news channels. We very willingly accepted and applauded the fact that our government now needed to lock people up in federal holding pens without charges in far away places to protect us. We were becoming such good Patriots. But our government told us there was more we must do to keep ourselves safe. And in June of 2005, our government did just that and it didn't even need the sushine of debate in Congress.

Beginning in 2008, we will all happily gather our papers together and head down to our local DMV to stand obediently in line and with a smile turn over a current photo ID, Soc. Sec card, birth certificate, and utility bill with our current address on it. The local DMV employee will then take possession of your papers and have them checked out. You will then be told you will be notified when to return to be issued your new Real ID card. No one knows how long it will take the individual states to have all of your information put into the National Database or how long the government will take to give your papers the stamp of approval. But you won't complain, because you are a true Patriot. You know that the government is only doing this to keep you safe and that tracking suspicious people that have been issued temporary IDs is necessary. But how will they be tracked? I have a theory.

In order to track those issued a temporary ID there must be a tracking system. Since your new Real ID card will be scannable, there will have to be scan points throughout America. Airports, train stations, bus stations, and perhaps even state borders. This way when Inga Jorgenson from Norway who is here photographing life in America, our Government will at all times have a good idea where she is as she moves about the country and when her temporary ID hits the expiration date they can nab her and either give her an extension or send her back to Norway. Or when the Jones and Smith family goes on a camping trip to a neighboring state Homeland Security will know it.

Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." How silly this seems in today's new Patriotic America, because terrorism requires it.

But I do have just one question. Should we re-write our National Anthem and replace the words, for the Land of the free and the home of the brave, with, "here's my caaard, scaan it pleeeas, for it's secuuurrity I craaaaave."

One last thought. As horrendous as a terrorist attack is, you can only be killed once, but you will live forever in tyranny and oppression from government.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Our Response to Weller Editorial on CAFTA in Pantagraph
CAFTA is a win-win situation for America
(NAFTA + CAFTA = SHAFTA for most of us.)
In response to your editorial, I strongly disagree there is a conflict of interest in my support of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. I am disappointed The Pantagraph editors made this judgment so quickly, without all of the facts. If asked, I would have been happy to share details (GIVE US YOUR BIASED OPINON) about the many steps I have and continue to take, ensure that every vote related to Central America, specifically Guatemala,doesn't represent a conflict. (HOW CAN THAT BE WHEN THE ONLY PEOPLE CAFTA WILL “HELP” IN GUATEMALA AND THE U.S. ARE A SMALL MINORITY OF ELITE WHITES AND THE ALREADY WEALTHY – LIKE THE RIOS MONTT FAMILY IN GUATEMALA FOR INSTANCE.)
I've hired one of Washington, D.C.'s most respected advisers (CAN WE HAVE HIS NAME AND SEE A DOCUMENT THAT CONTAINS EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID, NOT YOUR OPINION) on congressional ethics issues to make sure that there are no conflicts with my official duties. I consulted with the Ethics Committee and received bipartisan guidance (AGAIN, CAN WE HAVE NAMES AND SPECIFIC QUOTES? HARD TO GET BIPARTISAN GUIDANCE WHEN THE GOP CONTROLS EVERYTHING, ALL MOST SPINELESS DEMOCRATS CAN DO IS NOD “OK” – THEY HAVE NO REAL POWER, LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE REGARDING DELAY'S ETHICS PROBLEM.) on potential conflicts and situations when I should not vote. The committee's guidance was very clear -- I represent a large constituency and it is my duty to represent them -- through my vote unless my wife or I stand to benefit directly and financially (YOU, YOUR WIFE, HER FAMILY AND PROBABLY YOUR FAMILY ALL STAND TO BENEFIT JER, IT’S CALLED INSIDE KNOWLEDGE 1. CAFTA was negotiated with President Portillo of FGR, a close associate of General Rios Montt and in the same political party. 2. Zury Rios Montt was a member of Congress and leader of the FRG political party along with her father General Rios Montt who was President of the Senate at the time.) because of a vote I cast, which simply is not the case with CAFTA. (LIAR)
To assert that just because my wife is a congresswoman in Guatemala there is automatically a conflict doesn't make it the case. (OK, CAN WE GET A FULL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE ON YOUR WIFE'S FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN GUATEMALA AND THROUGH OUT CENTRAL AMERICA?) CAFTA is a regional trade agreement between several nations, not just one,(YEH, BUT ITS GUATEMALA WE ARE CONCERNED WITH, DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT JER.) affecting millions of people in seven different countries.(AND AFFECTING MOST PEOPLE IN BOTH THE U.S. AND GUATEMALA FOR THE WORSE. MAYBE YOU, YOUR WIFE AND ALL YOUR RICH FRIENDS IN BOTH COUNTRIES WILL COME OUT OK, BUT THE MAJORITY OF COMMON FOLKS WILL GET SCREWED, JUST LIKE WITH NAFTA.
In 2004, export shipments of manufactured and non-manufactured products from Illinois companies and farmers to the CAFTA region topped $211 million. (TEAMSTERS MOBILIZE AGAINST CAFTA IN FIGHT TO PROTECT U.S. JOBS – OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF TEAMSTERS, JAMES R. HOFFA. "I call on my 1.4 million brothers and sisters in the Teamsters Union, along with working families across the United States and around the world, to mobilize against CAFTA and for job protections and basic international labor standards." (ALSO: U.S. MANUFACURERS URGE PREDIDENT BUSH TO SCRAP CAFTA. HEY JER, READ THE PAPERS, LISTEN TO THE NEWS, GET YOUR INFO FROM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN BU$H, DELAY, YOUR WIFE OR FATHER-IN-LAW!)
The United States is at a severe trade disadvantage. (OH YEH. THE POWERFUL U.S. IS AT A SEVERE TRADE DISADVANTAGE, LIKE IN CHINA? BECAUSE THE WORKERS THERE ARE PAID EVEN LESS THAN WORKERS IN AMERICA AND GUATEMALA, SO THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY U.S. PRODUCTS?) CAFTA will open that market even further.(AND MAKE THE AVERAGE U.S., CHINESE AND GUATEMALAN WORKER EVEN POORER AS WE FIGHT WITH EACH OTHER OVER THE LOW PAYING JOBS WITH NO BENEFITS BECAUSE OF A BIGGER POOL OF DESPARATE WORKERS) CAFTA will allow for exports of U.S. products (AND AS USUAL JUST A FEW RICH WHITE GUYS AND LARGE COROPORATIONS WILL MAKE THE BIG MONEY) by eliminating tariffs and other economic barriers stifling U.S. competition in these markets. Without CAFTA, products manufactured by Illinois companies such as Caterpillar (HOW MUCH DID NAFTA HELP AVERAGE CATERPILLAR WORKERS?) were subjected to a tariff of up to 14 percent for products exported to this region. Caterpillar and the Illinois Farm Bureau are just a few (CAN YOU NAME THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS JER? AND NOT ALL FARMERS ARE PRO CAFTA, LIAR) of the Illinois organizations supporting CAFTA.
CAFTA is a win-win for Illinois. (SCHAKOWSKY JOINS LABOR AND WORKING FAMILIES CAUCUS CO-CHAIRS MICHAUD, SANCHEZ, LYNCH, ALLIES IN ORGANIZED LABOR IN SPEAKING OUT AGAINST CAFTA) Instead of making claims of conflict of interest, (WHY DO YOU FEEL SOOOOOOO DEFENSIVE ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE AND IN-LAWS JER??? GUILTY CONSCIENCE?) we should continue to discuss the countless ways Illinois wins (OHHHHH YES! LET’S DISCUSS THAT, CAN WE HAVE REAL DEBATE, OR DO YOU JUST GET TO TALK AS USUAL JER?) under CAFTA and why we must quickly work to expedite this important agreement through Congress.U.S. Rep. Jerry WellerMorris (LIAR, JUST BECAUSE YOU OWN PROPERTY OR HAVE AN ADDRESS TO USE DOES NOT MAKE THE STATEMENT ON YOUR GOVERNMENT WEBSITE " The couple resides in Morris, Illinois." TRUE. YOU STATED ON THE FORMS YOU SENT TO THE ETHICS COMMITTEE THAT SHE HAS NO PLANS ON BECOMING A U.S. CITIZEN. AND I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN OR HEARD ABOUT THE CONRESISTA TOOLING AROUND MORRIS, GROCERY SHOPPING, BUYING GAS, AT THE HARDWARE STORE OR LOCAL CULVER'S.)
posted by Kankakee Voice @ Wednesday, July 13, 2005 3
and reposted here from the original posting site.

These are two recent articles that were a direct result of Kankakee Voices letter to the House Ethics Committe regarding Weller's conflict of interest with CAFTA. They refere to us as "wacky" .... hey ya know what they say.. if they're talking......
Groups get early start to try to oust Weller and Critics target Weller

True to form, Weller "ducks" the issues at hand, and refuses to "engage" anyone or anything..
On John Pavich, from the first article linked.
"We have no intention of engaging them," said Steve Shearer, Weller's campaign manager. "(Pavich) is trying to have a high-profile campaign for 19 or 20 months. The congressman has to focus on his responsibilities, and the time to address this is a few months before the election."

Here's my favorite part, where they refer to Kankakee Voices. "This is a very small group," Weller's spokesman said of the opposition. "The congressman has no intention of engaging them." After they said, "Kankakee Voices is truly wacky," Shearer said. "One good thing about democracy is that a tiny group of people can be very loud and get their point across,...." tee heee heee....

On a side note, I contacted Weller's office the Friday before the July 4th weekend to see if he would be making any appearances in his district. I was told "due to security reasons, that informantion cannot be realeased, but we will send out a press announcment NEXT WEEK" (after the fact) Jerry "DUCK and RUN" Weller obviously either had no plans on coming to make an appearance due to his un-popularity, or maybe he JUST WASN'T INVITED !!!!

I was also informed that Jerry's house is nearing completion and He and his wife plan on moving in, in the NEXT TWO MONTHS. Then she added, unless of course busniess in Washington prevents that. See how Weller's staff is trained so well in "double speak"? I look for Jerry to move in around Sept 2006 myself, just so he can say "see I do live here."