PeoriaStory

Palin pick proves McCain is senile?

UPDATE, Sept. 6, 2008.  This New York Times column by Judith Warner says it all.

UPDATE, Sept. 1, 2008:  Palin's campaign now says that the 16 or 17-year-daughter is five months pregnant and will marry the guy soon. Here's a Huffington Post page on this incredible mess, now stranger than fiction. It's everywhere on the web. So Palin, who doesn't believe in birth control or abortion, wants only abstinence taught in schools and holds other wacky beliefs is hoist on her own sword.  Given the photo evidence, the girl still may be the mom of the infant!  McCain made a snap judgment on Palin whose lack of experience is the least of it. Palin likely will be off the ticket by Sept. 5. Romney, anyone?

UPDATE --  Here's a post, with photos, that claims the baby is not Palin's but is the offspring of her 16-year-old (unmarried) daughter!  If so, Palin has lied to the public.  And what does this say about McCain's fitness to be president?  UPDATE Sept. 6, 2008:  Try this link instead. The one above has been taken down. (Suppressed?)

PEORIA -- Have the Republicans lost their minds? 

Or could it be that GOP wise men are meeting in their private clubs over the weekend to plan a convention derailment of the nomination of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick?

Not only is Palin a rabid anti-choice activist (wanting the government out of our lives but not out of our wombs and bedrooms), and not only is she virulently anti-environment -- killing endangered polar bears is OK with her -- she's also involved in a nasty corruption scandal.

Here are the details on that scandal.

And more details here, including the juicy fact that she wants creationism taught in public schools.

Just when the Republicans appeared to be moving a bit toward the sane center, McCain selects a clearly unqualified person to be a heartbeat -- or tumor -- away from the presidency. 

Cong. Ray LaHood (R-18th) is more qualified than Palin to be vice president. As for women, so are Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former US EPA administrator Christi Whitman , Sen. Elizabeth Dole and a host of others. 

Hasn't anyone told McCain that it's an insult to women to select an unqualified woman for a job that's way over her head? That's because when she fails, it hurts the cause of all women.

Romney and the rest who ran for the presidency, spending their precious time and money to make their cases to the public after they spent years in public office gaining precious experience, must be seething!

The official reaction of the Republican establishment has been muted, so far. Like good boys, they support whatever the boss wants. For now.

Her selection will prove interesting in one respect.  Will the mainstream media pundits engage in savage  sexist putdowns of Palin, as they did with Sen. Hillary Clinton?   Guess we'll find out whether the unwarranted sexist attacks on Clinton were because she's a woman or because she's a Democrat.

Rush Limbaugh has already made a preemptive strike, calling Palin, a 44-year-old mother of five,  "a babe."

We'll see what follows on the sexist language front. If Palin survives the Republican convention, that is.

She can always beat a hasty retreat back to Alaska, claiming pressing family duties to her children, including an infant with Down syndrome.

In fact, how can she really campaign with all those kids in tow?  Exploit the older ones to care for the baby?  Hire a couple of nannies? So much for mothering her children.

As someone suggested to me, McCain must be senile to have picked her. We'll be watching.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Will Schock skip first Congressional debate in Peoria?

UPDATE:  Aug. 28, 2008:  Apparently Schock will be a no-show at the World Affairs Council debate.  His campaign released a list of events, (scroll down to 'Politics...') and this one's not included. Most are private events, not open to the public. Many are forums, where candidates introduce themselves, and not debates where they question each other. Callahan's campaign has called Schock a "chicken" for taking this approach. Stay tuned.

PEORIA -- The Peoria Area World Affairs Council is sponsoring the first Peoria debate in the 18th District Congressional race at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from the Peoria City Council Chambers.

But will the GOP candidate, 27-year old state Rep. Aaron Schock show up?

He's "waffling," council executive director Angela Weck said in an e-mail.

The other two candidates, Democrat Colleen Callahan and Green party nominee Sheldon Schafer have agreed to attend, and the debate will go on with or without Schock.

It will broadcast live on WCBU-FM, the Peoria PBS affiliate, and web streamed as well, Weck said.

It's open to the public, and the audience must be seated by 6:45 p.m.

Schock has already dropped out of a proposed September debate at Eureka College, angering college and WCBU officials.  That debate has been canceled. 

His campaign has told people involved in that debate that the invitations were too numerous and had to be limited, a situation that apparently didn't trouble the other two participants.

Schock is supposed to appear sometime in October on WEEK-TV, in a debate sponsored by the Peoria Journal Star and the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria.

The Sept. 10 debate is to focus on foreign policy.  That may prove scary for Schock who made national news with the speech announcing his candidacy when he proposed sending Pershing nuclear missiles to Taiwan to intimidate China.

Relevant foreign policy statements from that lengthy speech are reproduced below.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

From Aaron Schock's announcement speech:

"Before Ronald Reagan became President, guerilla movements financed, organized and trained by the Soviet Union defeated American friends all over the world. We lost all of Southeast Asia, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Nicaragua and others were gravely threatened. Freedom was losing around the world

President Reagan wasn't willing to settle for just stopping the loss of freedom—he unleashed an offense that turned the tide, immediately stopped the loss and started winning again.

President Reagan funded and trained indigenous freedom fighters in Soviet satellite countries and from the beginning of his administration the Soviet Union was suddenly on defense, and began to lose around the world.

President Reagan came to the aid of freedom fighters:

UN1TA in Angola, RENAMO in Mozambique, the Contras in Nicaragua and the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan.

Additionally, President Reagan funded freedom movements such as Solidarity in Poland with CIA training in organizing, and all the equipment necessary to function.

Any freedom movement in a totalitarian country faces enormous difficulty in organizing against the unlimited resources of a ruthless state, Those freedom movements need help from free nations.   In Congress, / will advocate for them,

It is no secret that despite 28 years of the Iranian government's non-stop campaign to label the USA as the great Satan with huge billboards all over Iran, and constant propaganda to that effect, still 80 percent of the people love America and American culture. They don't buy the propaganda and they yearn to be free of the control of the unelected Ayatollahs.

If I am elected, I will propose a bill that will use the CIA estimate of how much money Iran gives Hezbollah in Lebanon each year, to spend the same amount from us to fund freedom fighters inside Iran who want to overthrow Amadinejad and the Ayatollahs. Let's turn the tables,

My plan will tell the Iranian regime that we will fund freedom fighters in Iran for the first year with the same amount Iran gave the year before to Hezbollah. The next year we will double that. The third year, if needed, we will triple the amount.

The money will go for CIA training of underground leaders in how to organize and prevent detection, satellite phones, communication encryption, communications equipment, radio broadcasts from nearby countries, and eventually arms. My bill will state that if Iran stops its nuclear arms program and stops funding Hezbollah then we will stop our program. But if they continue and say they are simply funding freedom fighters—which is what they call Hezbollah, then we will use their same arguments back at them to fund and train the majority of people in Iran who want to be free.

Already the economic sanctions against Iran are severe and are likely to lead to Amadinejad's defeat for re-election in 2009. Funding a freedom movement to overthrow the regime will cause massive turmoil in Iran. They will be on defense against their own people and we will be on offense. No American troops will be necessary. We will simply facilitate the people's overthrow of the Iranian regime just we did successfully all over Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Ethiopia and Nicaragua. Without the need to commit American troops.

In the meantime, we need to pressure China and Russia strenuously to go along with the third set of more powerful economic sanctions against Iran. If China continues to be irresponsible about nuclear proliferation in Iran, we should tell them that if they do not care about proliferation—and since they are enablers of it in Iran, that if they don't change their position, we will sell Pershing nuclear missiles to Taiwan for their defense,

Non-proliferation will either be enforced universally or not at all—it is their choice. The Chinese will come around, I have no doubt." -30-

Hate group in Peoria area

PEORIA -- A hate group with a Peoria post office box may be circulating a flier in the Peoria area that contains a Nazi swastika and racist attacks on Jews and African Americans.

A friend recently found the flier left on a copier at a local copy shop.

It contains an appeal to "everyday white Peorians" who "live in fear of being murdered, raped and robbed" by "dangerous beasts." And it doesn't mean bears or tigers, who don't rob or rape, incidentally.

The flyer uses the N-word, and talks about "Jews lies of diversity and equality." (sic)

The friend notified Peoria police, but they shrugged off the complaint, saying the flier is legal under free speech laws, which is true. It's also not that unusual, they told my friend. They've seen this stuff before, apparently.

 How sad.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

No to auditor referendum

UPDATE:  The County Board voted 13-5 not to place the referendum on the ballot.  See the Peoria Journal Star's story here.

PEORIA -- On August 14 the Peoria County Board will decide whether to place a referendum on the November general election ballot to abolish the office of Peoria County Auditor. (See story below.)

This is such a terrible idea that I have sent a letter to Peoria County Board members on the issue. Here it is:

Dear Peoria County Board Member:

As a citizen and a blogger I am concerned that the board’s executive committee on a 5-4 vote decided to send (e.g. recommend) that a referendum be placed on the November general election ballot on whether or not to abolish the office of county auditor.

The auditor’s office is a vital past of the county’s system of checks and balances, and should remain an independent office, responsible only to the public, not county officials. That’s why it was established as an independent office in the first place. That reason transcends current personalities now holding office.

Voters may instinctively know this – Peoria voters refused to abolish the city election bureau a few years ago, despite problems in that office. It also is a part of the checks and balances system.

Now a similar election is being proposed, which will result in a waste of time, money and energy and threatens the checks and balances system that has resulted in the current harmonious atmosphere in county government.

Though some have said that the voters in a democracy deserve a say, that statement is a red herring. Elected officials have been elected to oversee government based on the current systems in place, and not to propose referendums on government structure.

I don’t think board members would be willing to propose a referendum on the Bill of Rights or other vital sections of the US or Illinois Constitution.

To do so would risk dismantling our democracy based on appeals by demagogues. That is the path to autocracy.

I urge all of you to vote NO on placing this auditor referendum or similar ones on the coroner and recorder of deeds before the voters. These officials should be responsible first to the public, and not to other county officials. They may have to publicize wrong doing, and should be able to do so without jeopardizing their jobs.

Just vote NO.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Haz waste hearing stimies County Board

UPDATE, 8/19/08:  See the Journal Star's story on the public hearing.

UPDATE:  The County Board voted not to get involved in this issue at its Aug. 14 meeting.

PEORIA -- The Peoria County Board's health and environmental committee balked at making a decision regarding the delisting of a hazardous waste handled by Peoria Disposal Co.,'s hazardous waste landfill on the west edge of Peoria.

After a long hearing on Aug. 5, the committee voted to stay out of the delisting decision. That recommendation goes to the full County Board at its Aug. 14 meeting.

The hearing was a replay in miniature of a previous landfill siting hearing, when PDC proposed to expand the landfill. The board refused to allow the new siting, the Illinois Pollution Control Board backed up the board, and that case is still on appeal in the Appellate Court.

The landfill is almost full and needs to expand or close. Delisting the waste, known as K061, electric arc furnace dust produced by steel mills, would allow this waste to continue to be processed by PDC at its hazardous waste landfill then trucked to the PDC-owned Indian Creek Landfill in Tazewell Count or another municipal landfill.  

The dust contains heavy metals such as lead. PDC is proposing to treat the waste to render it non-hazardous, so it could go to a municipal landfill.

PDC now handles 74,000 tons annually of the dust, mostly from Keystone Steel & Wire Co. in Bartonville.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board will determine whether the dust can be delisted as a hazardous waste, so the County Board need not make a decision. A public hearing before the PCB takes place at 3 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Peoria Public Library, 107 NE Monroe.

This type of dust has been delisted elsewhere, Patrick Urich, county administrator, said.  But he acknowledged that the US Environmental Protection Agency has found that delisting might inhibit recycling.

Starting up a recycling plant would cost $35 million, he reported. "The market will decide" whether that is workable, he said.

PDC is known as a good locally owned employer, whose workers receive union scale wages and benefits. Two Teamsters Union officials spoke for the PDC delisting.

Keystone owes the county $8 million, Urich said, funds advanced to keep this employer in business.

Refusal to delist the waste would add substantial costs to Keystone, and take business away from PDC, officials said.

PDC attorney Brian Meginnes said the hazardous waste landfill recently had its permit renewed by the Illinois EPA, and can operate for ten more years. But it likely will be full in 2009.

"Delisting...will maintain jobs and keep PDC financially strong. We're taking the waste out of Peoria County. We're doing what you wanted. You should support that," Meginnes said.

"Once they're gone, they're gone forever," Bernie Lee, secretary/treasurer of Teamsters Local 627 said of the jobs. "Support the delisting."

But environmental activists who defeated PDC on the siting issue were back to oppose the delisting.

Delisting of this material elsewhere has been done under different circumstances, said Cara Rosson of Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste.

It's treated and landfilled on site, not trucked elsewhere, she said. And it's not a mixture of waste from several facilities as PDC is proposing. She warned that corrosive agents in a municipal landfill, from batteries to paint thinner could react with the chemicals and turn the dust hazardous again. "There are thousands of combinations. It's really scary," she said.

Joyce Blumenshine of the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club urged the committee not to lose sight of the long term health and safety of Peoria County, and not to send problems to a neighboring county. The Indian Creek Landfill is over a major aquifer, she said.

The new process that PDC has developed is secret, she said, and only recently developed so no long term studies have been done.

Tracy Fox argued that the secrecy of the process raises questions. How can emergency responders respond if they don't know what chemicals are involved, she asked.

"This proposal circumvents the closing of the landfill," she said.

"No delistings follow this model with multiple things going to many landfills. I don't want to write off the jobs and profits, but if Peoria County wants to use waste policy for economic development there are other ways to do it," she said. "Get Keystone down to zero waste."

Tom Edwards argued that no one is testing air emissions from the hazardous waste landfill, which is up-wind from a large residential area. It "should be safely closed as soon as possible."

Joyce Harant termed the delisting "a grand experiment. Taking this dust and putting it into municipal landfills has never been tested.  Instead of putting waste into the ground, think of ways to recycle.  Oppose the delisting."

Board members refused to endorse or oppose the delisting, and said the process should proceed before the PCB.

The proponents and opponents will be back to make more arguments before the PCB on Aug. 18.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Callahan fundraiser/friendraiser

CHILLICOTHE -- For those voters wanting to meet Colleen Callahan in an informal setting, an event on Sat., Aug. 9 presents a fun and inexpensive opportunity.

Callahan is the Democratic candidate for the 18th District Congressional seat now held by Cong. Ray LaHood, who is not seeking reelection. Her opponent is state Rep. Aaron Schock, and Sheldon Schafer is running as the Green Party candidate.

The event for Callahan takes place from 5 - 8 p.m. at the residence of Bob and Mary Akers, 15607 Von Achen Dr., Chillicothe.  (Directions:  From Illinois Route 29, turn west on W. Rome Road at the firehouse, and after the first block turn right.)

The event is free but donations will be accepted. A"Rat Pack Happy Hour" is planned for 6:30 p.m., featuring the music of "Dean, Sammy and Frank," with martinis served to accompany the music.

The Akres would appreciate an RSVP at 309/453-1814 or [email protected]. 

The Callahan campaign is planning precinct walks earlier that day, so these volunteers will have stories to share at the party.

A secret victory under the radar

PEORIA – Without fanfare or media notice, the Peoria City Council recently allowed Peoria fire fighters to step up their emergency response to accidents.

This will certainly save lives, as fire fighters often reach the scene of an accident or injury before paramedics from the ambulance service, AMT, Advanced Medical Transport, the not-for-profit funded by  Peoria's hospitals.

But until now, the fire fighters were not allowed to tread on the ambulance service’s turf. They were told to stand and wait.

The move is a victory for Peoria physician/activist Dr. John Carroll, who worked for years in the emergency department at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

He’s been fighting for this change for fire fighters for almost a decade.

Here’s a letter he sent to the Peoria Journal Star shortly before the council approved the change.  The newspaper never published it: 

“A recent Journal Star article reported an accident in Peoria where a CityLink bus was rear ended by a car. According to the article, at least 13 people were "sent to the hospital" for evaluation. The accompanying photo showed the Peoria Fire Department (PFD) rescue firefighters caring for the injured bus passengers that they had placed on stretchers.

According to the article accident victims sat on the sidewalk waiting for additional Advanced Medical Transport (AMT) ambulances to arrive. The reason these people had to wait, is that the PFD is not allowed to transport emergency patients. The PFD had their own rescue vehicle several years ago but were not allowed to use it for transport…so they sold it.

What was not reported in the article was that AMT asked CityLink to help out. CityLink graciously sent a van and transported injured victims to the hospital.

Isn't this amazing when CityLink needs to transport patients who may have broken necks while the PFD cannot? And unless the policy has recently changed, if any of the bus accident victims were seriously injured at the crash scene, the PFD paramedics could not have provided paramedic support for the victims if AMT was not present.

As reported by the Journal Star a couple of years ago, when no other transport agency was quickly available, the Dunlap Fire Chief transported one of his own Dunlap firefighters who had lost consciousness at the scene of an emergency. To protect his firefighter, he had used common sense but crossed the powers that be who control our local Emergency Medical Services. Because of his action the Dunlap Fire Chief came very close to losing his job.

Something seems wrong here.

The paramedic and ambulance transport monopoly in Peoria, fueled by conflict of interest and the mighty dollar, is not patient friendly. This bus accident helps show Peoria is not ready for a more serious mass casualty.

John A. Carroll, M.D.”

 

Carroll, whose integrity is beyond question, presents a chilling picture of what could happen to anyone on the streets of Peoria.

Good thing the City Council has agreed to improve the system by allowing fire fighters to intervene immediately. It happened under the radar, and allowed the council to bypass an open, public vote on the measure.

According to the PJS, which reported on the proposal but not that it had passed, the new fire fighters union contract contains the following provisions:

•  The establishment of Advanced Life Support (ALS) engine companies at two stations in the north end of the city.

•  A 2 percent paramedic pay incentive given whenever a union member becomes ALS licensed by the state.
  

“The incentive pay is limited to 16 paramedics on staff. Fire Chief Kent Tomblin said there are about 10 union members who are certified.

King (a spokeswoman) said having two ALS engine companies allows firefighters who respond to emergency calls to be better equipped to handle a "higher level of medical support to a distressed individual" before Advance Medical Transport (AMT) arrives.

Right now, firefighters trained as paramedics provide basic life support services, King said. She said there are no engine companies directly assigned for this type of emergency service.”

This is not a perfect solution to the ‘emergency gap’ in Peoria, but it's a step forward.

Carroll said the fire fighters actually need four ALS engine companies in the city instead of two.

Odd that except for this brief article, the news media has ignored this. Why?

Peoria's media has fallen into the bad habit of never questioning the powerful in Peoria, including the hospitals, which are major employers and advertisers.

Carroll has been a thorn in the side of St. Francis officials, advocating for better emergency room management and EMS procedures, advocating for treatment for dying children from Haiti, and in general asking the hospital to spend its ‘disposable income’ – on something other than  high salaries to officials.

He’s caught some of these St. Francis officials in conflicts of interest involving AMT, and publicized the information.  That undercuts the St. Francis propaganda of always doing the ethical thing (unless, of course, women’s reproductive health is involved).

Carroll’s complaints to hospital ethicists, the Peoria Medical Society, the Christian Medical Society, the Peoria Catholic Diocese and other organizations have all been ignored or brushed off, Carroll said.

Instead, hospital and emergency system officials said they feared “duplication of services.”

Carroll has been maligned in the news media by some of these officials who spun and twisted what he said as if he were a politician instead of a physician advocating for better patient care by honest providers free from conflicts of interest.

But in the end, his tireless advocacy apparently has paid off. Don’t look for an award ceremony.

So it goes in River City. Some accident victims may be helped more effectively with these new rules. Others may wait, and die, on the curb. We’ll be watching.

 -- Elaine Hopkins