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Huge crowd expected at Nativity Scene ceremony in Illinois state Capitol: Join us in celebrating America's Christian heritage

Dear Friends in Christ and Believers in our inalienable rights given to us by our Creator:

 
This is an invitation to all to the opening day ceremony for the historic Third Annual Springfield (Illinois) Nativity Scene on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 from 12 Noon until 1 P.M. in the Illinois state Capitol Rotunda building.

 

If you plan to attend, please come early, as we are expecting an even larger crowd than last year who wish to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and take part in exercising our Constitutional right to hold the event in the public square.  Contrary to political correctness, Americans still have the right under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to express our personal faith in a public forum.

 

There will be plenty of room for all and I promise you the event will be something memorable.

 

My thanks go out to those of you who have already contributed to the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee (SNSC).  For those who would like to help support the SNSC, contributions of any amount will be deeply appreciated.  However, donations to the SNSC are not tax-deductible.  To make a contribution to the SNSC, please make your check or money order payable to the “Springfield Nativity Scene Committee” and mail it to:  Daniel Zanoza, Chairman, Springfield Nativity Scene Committee, 904 21st St., # 71, Lincoln, IL 62656.

 

For more information about the event or becoming a co-sponsor, e-mail questions to:  [email protected]  or go to: "Nativity Scene To Stand For Third Year In A Row in Illinois State Capitol"   http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2010/08/nativity-scene-to-stand-for-third-year-in-a-row-in-illinois-state-capitol-.html

Please limber up your singing voices because the combined choirs from St. Alexander's Catholic Church of Villa Park will fill the state capitol Rotunda Building with Christmas carols celebrating Christ's birth and we invite everyone to sing along.

 

The Springfield Nativity Scene is the only such display to stand in any state capitol building in any state across the entire United States.

 

God bless,

 

Dan Zanoza, Chairman
Springfield Nativity Scene Committee and SNSC members:

  

Thomas Brejcha, Esq.                                                       

Chicago-based Thomas More Society

 

Eunice Conn, Polo

 

Karl Fritz, Chicago  

 

Pastor Dustin Fulton

Jefferson St. Christian Church

Lincoln

 

Daniel Gura, Lake Zurich 

 

State Sen. Chris Lauzen, Aurora

“acting as a private citizen”

 

Rev. Bernie Lutchman

Business Men In Christ  

Springfield

 

Beth Rogers, Springfield

 

Arlene Sawicki, South Barrington

 

David E. Smith

Illinois Family Institute

 

Julie Zanoza, Lincoln

How and When America Lost Its Way: Corporate America No Longer Represents “We The People” by Lyle J. Rapacki, Ph.D.

Editor's Note:  Lyle J. Rapacki, Ph.D. is a frequent contributor to RFFM.org.  Rapacki is an independent intelligence analyst.  The head of SENTINEL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, LLC, Rapacki receives and disseminates critical intelligence and policy information from and to law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security officials, and government and community leaders; Rapacki is the author of dozens of white papers, bulletins and briefings, and he is frequently called on to share his expertise with public and private security directors and organizations. 

A History Lesson:  How Elite Replaced Founding Fathers' Grand Vision Of A Republic With Corporate America by Lyle J. Rapacki, Ph.D.

Overview:

Our country is a Corporation just like any other with its own set of accounting and rules and policies invented and then decreed to those not in charge; namely, WE THE PEOPLE.  

A clock is ticking and a vast majority of Americans can hear it, but are not quite sure what will happen when the clock strikes the proverbial midnight.  There is growing anger masking fear; there is disbelief, mixed with a growing sense of loss; there is stunned silence at the lack of response from every branch of government and from those who are to serve as the Representatives of the People.  No longer, it seems to a growing majority of Americans, is the United States Government working for the good of the People; for that matter, even for the good of the Nation! 

We all are acquainted with the shouts from citizens of absolute frustration and anger rising to the point of “demanding” STOP the spending, STOP the laws arresting personal freedoms, policies that fly in the face of common sense and good will, and a government recreating itself into something the citizens of this Nation can’t recognize.  Even the explosive issues surrounding the eligibility of Mr. Obama to serve as president are totally ignored, and those leveling such serious charges are held up to ridicule, threatened by government agents, not permitted in the courts so the issues can be heard, not even granted access to the Congress of the United States as prescribed by the Constitution for the United States of America to address such a weighty and sobering complaint and charge.  

Mentioned below is a startling yet fascinating set of facts and citations depicting the legal description of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, INC.  The preponderant majority of citizens have no idea the UNITED STATES in reality is incorporated.  So…besides the Constitution for the United States of America signed by the Founders, much of that hallowed document has been substituted and there is a corporation in effect that complicates many areas of our life with no one discussing this.   It is the proverbial 1-ton elephant decaying in the living room.  No one wants to go in there, so the rest of the house is used without ever mentioning that room!  The U.S. Corporation owns the 100-square mile radius known as Washington, D.C.  The U.S. Corporation also has sway over territories of the UNITED STATES.  The states, however, are sovereign and NOT owned by the corporation; hence the 10^th Amendment is a critical legal document of its own, granting such powers and sovereignty not assigned to the Federal Government, to the states.  The Founders were far more brilliant than people give them credit.  The Founders feared a centralized, all intrusive, all powerful, militant, oppressive government.  The Founders promoted and died for, among other hopes and dreams, a government shared and responsive to the will of the people – a government Of the People, For the People, By the People. 

There is a corporation at work in this country that is the country!  It is not responsive to you or me. 

Corporate Description: 

Entity Name:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, INC. 

Entity Kind:   CORPORATION 

Entity Type:   NON-PROFIT OR RELIGIOUS 

Residency:      DOMESTIC State: DE 

REGISTERED AGENT INFORMATION: 

Name:             THE COMPANY CORPORATION 

Address:         2711 CENTERVILLE ROAD SUITE  #440 

City:       WILMINGTON       County:       NEW CASTLE 

State:      DE (Delaware)         Postal Code:       19808 

Phone:       (302) 636-5440 

D-U-N-S registered  Number:       03-360-9418 

Company Name:       Government Of The United States 

Mail Address:       6825 16^th St. NW 

                               Washington, D.C.   USA 20306-0003 

County:       District of Columbia 

MSA:       Washington 

Country Phone Code:      1 

Phone:       202-782-2787 

Location Type:       Branch 

Subsidiary Status:       Non Subsidiary 

Plant/Facility Size:       41,700 Sq. Ft. 

Ownership:       Private 

Prescreen Score:       Low Risk 

Global Ultimate Parent:       Government Of The United States

                                                The U. S. Capitol

                                                 Washington, D.C., USA  20515-0001

                                                 202-224-3121 

Global Ultimate Parent:        D-U-N-S registered  Number:    161906193 

HISTORY: 

THE U.S. CORPORATION HAD ITS ROOTS, of (1871) and started with:

Gettysburg Address in 1864, and the Incorporation of the District of Columbia by [(Presidential, martial law)] Legislative Act of February 21, 1871, under the Emergency War Powers Act and the Reconstruction Acts.  Then reorganized June 11, 1878 - - 16 Stat. 419 Chapter 62. 

A “Corporation” with a legislature was established, with all the apparatus of a distinct government created (Incorporated) by (Presidential) Legislative Act, February 21, 1871, Forty-first Congress, Session III, Chapter 62, page 419: 

On June 20, 1874, the President with advice of Senate abolished and replaced the 1871 government with a commission consisting of three persons. 18 Stat. at L. 116, chap. 337.  A subsequent act approved June 11, 1878, (20 Stat. at L. 102, chap. 180) was enacted stating that the District of Columbia should ‘remain and continue a municipal corporation,’ as provided in 2 of the Revised Statutes relating to said District (brought forward from the act of 1871). 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. CAMDEN IRON WORKS  181 U.S. 453 (1901)http://supreme.justia.com/us/181/453/case.html 

METROPOLITAN R CO v. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA  132 U.S. 231 (1889) http://supreme.justia.com/us/132/1/case.html 

Corporate Officers:

“…But by the Act of June 11, 1878, (20 Stat. chap. 180), a permanent form of government for the District was established.  It provided…and that the commissioners therein provided for should be deemed and taken as officers of such corporation.”

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HENRY E. WOODBURY   136 U.S. 472 (1890)http://www.supremelaw.org/decs/dccases/woodbury.html 

In UNITED STATES CODE, Title 28, Section 3002 Definitions, it states the following:

(15) “United States” means – 

(A)   a Federal corporation; 

The new “United States” includes States such as District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.  It does not include the 50 states united. i.e., Title 26 Section 7701 Definitions (a) (9) and (10) 42 U.S.C. 405 (2)(c)(vii) 

All titles of the United States Code (USC) are strictly meant for the United States and none of the 50 states of the Union.  Each of the 50 states has their own constitutions and laws.  See HEPBURN v. ELLZEY, 2 Cranch, 445, 452, and JOHN BARRON v. THE MAYOR AND CITY OF BALTIMORE 32 U.S. 243 (1833).  These last two cases clearly state that the United States is not the 50 states of the Union. 

CONCLUSION:

I intend to follow this briefing with additional materials that will shed light on several matters connected to the battle for the soul of America.  Our country was never intended to become what it is today.  A brave experiment in creating a Republic lasted a short while and was unceremoniously dumped in exchange for a mechanism that benefitted the few, not the many, as envisioned by the Founders.  This insidious mechanism has steadily covered the “shining light on a hill” to the degree America today is in much darkness.  The Founders would be incensed, and I think would not hesitate to once again pledge their lives and their fortunes to restore America to that great experiment of government Of the People, For the People, By the People. 

The frustration many people have experienced petitioning Washington, D.C., attempting to be heard in the halls of the judiciary around the country, as well as the halls of Congress can be traced to the set of rules in play today by a government that has built a strong and corporately legal wall virtually shutting itself off from the People.  The People on the other hand are still functioning as if the original Constitution for the United States of America was in play…and it is not, except when it is brought out by the elites and “used” to further their own cause(s).  Just as quickly, it is wrapped up and stored away.  

The insidious on-going game is not a Republican or a Democrat Party tug-o-war.  Both parties are actively involved with this corporate shuffle.  The need for strict Constitutionalists who demonstrate a healthy respect for the sovereignty of mankind, and this Nation, has never been in greater demand.   Let’s pray we find them, elect them, and then hold them accountable; for the hour is very late and the clock is about to toll midnight. 

Contact LYLE J. RAPACKI, Ph.D.at:  [email protected] 

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Dr. Alveda King: Wise Words Regarding the American Condition: Continue the Dream

by Beth Rogers

  

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Beth Rogers is a noted pro-family activist and a member of the Springfield (Illinois) Nativity Scene Committee, among other groups.  Rogers is a frequent contributor to RFFM.org.  She recently attended an event sponsored by the Springfield Right to Life.  The following report features some of the poignant words offered by Dr. Alveda C. King, who was the day's key note speaker.  One of the issues Alveda King discussed was the fact she had an illegal abortion in 1970 and another abortion in 1973 and how these decisions to abort impacted her life.  Alveda King is the niece of the late civil rights leader, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Dr. Alveda King is a leader in the pro-family movement nationwide. 

 

 

Conservative pro-life activist Dr. Alveda C. King spoke to the Springfield Right to Life [www.srtl.org] organization at the Howlett Building in Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, September 23, 2010.  King 59, is the daughter of the late Rev. A.D. King, younger brother of slain civil rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  

 

Alveda King was the firstborn of five children.  She is the mother of six and a grandmother.  As a pro-life activist, she often speaks on college campuses about abortion issues.  She joined the pro-life movement as a crusader to offer women alternatives to abortion.  King said she is a "non-denominational Christian" and a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  King is also Director of African-American Outreach for Gospel of Life, headed up by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

 

Her father, Rev. A.D. King served as a civil rights leader and a Baptist pastor.  The Kings faced maltreatment as their house was bombed by opponents of the civil rights movement.  In 1969, one year after the assassination of her uncle Martin Luther King, Jr., Alveda's father, A.D. King died.  The cause of A.D. King's death has always been under suspicion. 

 

In Springfield, King led the opening song "He is Lord" followed by her powerful stirring speech and testimony.  King said she received an illegal abortion in 1970 when a doctor gave her an abortion under false pretenses and again in 1973 by a doctor who assured her "it's just a blob of tissue".  The abortions damaged her cervix and she miscarried another baby months later.  In 1983 she dedicated her life to Jesus and He opened her eyes to the reality of what she had done and forgave her for destroying her baby.  She says Christians have a responsibility to protect the next generation of children and nothing is more important to God than the issues of life. 

 

Glen Beck invited Dr. Alveda King to speak at Beck's "Rally to Restore Honor" in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 2010.  During that event, King explained her desire to continue her famous uncle’s fight for civil rights and said "I have a dream within my genes." 

 

King told those in attendance at Springfield Right to Life, "The presence of the Lord came upon me to stand before the people...My uncle Martin Luther King, Jr. did not support Planned Parenthood...How can the dream survive, if we murder the children?...Violating the baby’s civil rights is a great injustice." 

 

King also spoke highly of her grandfather who said, "That's not a lump of flesh, that's my great grand baby."  His great grandson is now ready to graduate from law school.  King also praised the man, Abraham Lincoln, who led our nation out of slavery.  "As Lincoln was an abolitionist, the pro-life community are also abolitionists and civil rights activists."

 

The fulfillment of her uncle's famous "I Have a Dream" speech is being practiced in Alveda King's own life.  "My uncle Martin had a dream that all of God's children, black and white, Catholics, Protestants, gentiles and Jews would join together to sing that old spiritual 'free at last, free at last.'" He also said "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and killing unborn babies is unjust...I have a dream in my genes, as my uncle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The time is always right to do what is right."

Dr. Alveda King is Founder of King for America www.kingforamerica.com/
 
 
RELATED ARTICLES and links: 
 
Abortion: A Personal Pro-Life Testimony From Man Who Regrets Decision To Abort by Daniel T. Zanoza:  http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2009/02/abortion-a-personal-prolife-testimony-from-man-who-regrets-decision-to-abort-by-daniel-t-zanoza.html 
 
YouTube link:  Dan and Julie Zanoza discuss decision to abort:  http://youtube.com/watch?v=4nuEU3YLlvg 
 
Counselors report earlier signs of depression in women who have had abortions / More research urged:  http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/06/counselors-report-earlier-signs-of-depression-in-women-who-have-had-abortions-more-research-urged.html
 
Springfield Nativity Scene Represents America's Legacy Regarding Judeo-Christian Heritage by Beth Rogers: http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2009/12/springfield-nativity-scene-represents-americas-legacy-regarding-judeochristian-heritage-.html
 
Nativity Scene To Stand For Third Year In A Row in Illinois State Capitol http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2010/08/nativity-scene-to-stand-for-third-year-in-a-row-in-illinois-state-capitol-.html 
 
YouTube link:  Excerpts of historic First Annual Opening Day Ceremony of Springfield (Illinois) Nativity Scene in 2008:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCChvKTHS1M 
 
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Carl Segvich vs. John Daley for Cook County Commissioner for the 11th District: Will Conservative Landslide Lift All Boats?

NOTE from RFFM.org's Executive Director:  RFFM.org is a pro-family website/blog whose primary goal is to share information about social, cultural and political issues which conservative Americans care about.  Many experts believe the 2010 midterm election will sweep true conservatives into office like never before.  The race between Carl Segvich and John Daley (Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's brother) will certainly be an interesting one to follow.  -- Dan Zanoza

 

"My friends and fellow residents of Cook County, we need your help between now and November 2nd," said Carl Segvich.  "In order to take this fight to our opponent, we need volunteers to cover churches and to walk precincts.  Please help us if you are serious about wanting to stop taxpayer-funded abortions at Cook County Hospital.  Be sure you are registered to vote on November 2nd." 

 

Carl Segvich's Views On The Issues

Platform of Carl Segvich, Candidate for Cook County Commissioner for the 11th District

IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES TO RESTORE EMPLOYMENT IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

Forensic Audit of all Cook County Finances

A forensic audit will provide a comprehensive study of where taxpayer funds are being spent vs. the actual budget.  This will identify opportunities for reducing unnecessary expenditures.

Cut Waste, Fraud & Abuse

There are 10 Cook County government officials, independently elected, with  large budgets and little accountability: Assessor, 3 Commissioners for Board of Review, County Clerk, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, Sheriff, State’s Attorney, and Treasurer. In this time when bloated government budgets are draining our wallets,  what is needed is efficient government.  This means eliminating unnecessary programs and related expenses.

County government must live within its means.  Public debt must only be incurred when absolutely necessary.  I will implore the other 16 commissioners to join me in purposeful scrutiny before considering any further bond issues, and to call into account all contracts and large expenditures.  We must stop growing government at the expense of the taxpayers. The citizens of Cook County demand accountability and more efficient government.

CUT TAXES TO HELP FAMILIES

Property taxes

Our property values are decreasing while our government is assessing them at a higher value and taxing us at a higher rate.  Property taxes must be properly synchronized to property values, so as not to overtax property owners.

We also have to make sure that property is fairly assessed in the first place.  Fair taxes begin with a fair assessment.

All 102 counties in Illinois, except Cook, are assessed at a uniform rate of 33.3%. In Cook County, vacant lots, commercial property and industrial property are assessed at different rates.  That is a glaring example of the complexity which adds to our tax bills.  This is only one example which complicates the process of calculating property tax bills. Other examples are equalizer and multiplier calculations.  Taken together, all of these complexities make for tax bills which are difficult to understand.  We must rectify this problem by simplifying the calculation methodology.

Sales Tax

Sales taxes in Cook County are the highest in the nation. These high taxes drive businesses  out of the county. Fewer businesses within Cook County automatically translates into decreased jobs. Accordingly sales taxes in general must be significantly lowered in order to attract both businesses and customers.  This will restore a job-friendly business climate.  Let’s put Cook County back to work.

STOP WASTEFUL SPENDING

Red Light Cameras – STOP the Harassment of Motorists

Throughout Cook County, residents and visitors alike are continuously harassed by a red camera system which intimidates drivers.  Cook County reportedly has reduced the duration of the yellow light in order to collect more revenue. This also results in more rear-end collisions and subsequent injuries. The red light camera system in Cook County must be dismantled. Cook County needs to curb its wasteful spending so motorists aren’t harassed by government contrived techniques for extracting money just so the county’s bills can be paid.

STOP the Tax-payer funded abortions at Cook County Hospital

Taxpayers are already over-burdened with higher taxes and this is an excellent example of an opportunity to save millions every year in the Cook County Hospital budget.  Polls show that regardless of opinions on abortion, most Americans do not want to spend tax dollars to fund abortion.

For more information on the Segvich campaign, contact info, etc. go to:  www.segvich.com

 

Anyone wishing to receive RFFM.org e-mails should contact:  [email protected]

Dr. Laurie Roth Radio Show: Illinois Family Institute's Dave Smith and RFFM.org's Dan Zanoza Discuss Fact Sex Offenders Reside In 90 Homes Which Are Licensed Day Care Centers In Illinois

Dave Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) and Dan Zanoza, a contract writer for IFI and Executive Director of RFFM.org will guest on the Dr. Laurie Roth Radio Show [www.therothshow.com] on Monday, September 27, 2010 between 6 and 7 P.M. Central time. 

Smith and Zanoza will be discussing a series of columns to be posted on IFI, the first of which is titled "Sex Offenders Reside In Homes Which Are Licensed Day Care Centers In Illinois" http://www.illinoisfamily.org/news/contentview.asp?c=35011

"It's a tragic story," said Zanoza.  "Tax payer dollars may actually be delivering children into the hands of pedophiles.  What's worse is this may be happening in other states as well.  Dave Smith and the Illinois Family Institute are shedding light on this important issue because children need to be protected, not exposed to sex offenders, while they are in places where they should feel (and be) safe." 

Broadcast out of Washington state on the IRN-USA Radio Network, Roth's radio talk show is nationally syndicated and "is on a mission to examine the issues based on right and wrong, not party politics."

If you cannot listen to the Dr. Roth radio show in your area, her program is streamed over the Internet, go to: http://www.irnusanews.com/ and on the left hand side of page, where it says Broadcasting now, Channel 3, Roth Show, click on "Tune in now". 

Listeners can call in to the Dr. Laurie Roth Show by dialing tollfree at 1-877-999-7684.

Anyone wishing to receive RFFM.org e-mails should contact:  [email protected]

Oliver North to Address Illinois Family Institute's Family, Faith & Freedom Banquet

Rallying The Troops One Week Before The Election, A Can't Miss Event

 

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Combat Veteran Colonel Oliver North is an American patriot in every way.  His FOX NEWS Channel series "War Stories with Oliver North" http://www.foxnews.com/warstories/ profiles the wars and warriors that shaped American military history.  North's riveting accounts honor the men and women who gallantly served our nation throughout its history.  North is a dynamic speaker and he reminds us all why the United States of America is that "shining city on a hill".  North's appearance at the Illinois Family Institute's Family, Faith and Freedom Banquet is not only a "can't miss" event for veterans, but it will be a "can't miss" event for all of us who love God and country. 

 

 

Illinois Family Institute
Family, Faith & Freedom Banquet

 

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 6:30 P.M.

 

Crowne Plaza O'Hare
5440 N. River Road
Rosemont, Illinois

 

Dinner tickets are $100 each.
Pastor's Special -- $50 each.

Table sponsorships are available.

 

Tickets for a Private Hors D'oeuvre Reception with Col. North are $250 each.  (Includes dinner, picture and signed book.)

Reservations are required.

Tickets must be purchased by Oct. 11th.

 

Tickets will not be sold at the door.

 

Overnight rooms at the Crowne Plaza are available at a reduced rate of $134 single/double.
To reserve a room, call 1-888-233-9527 and mention the Illinois Family Institute.

 

Register today!  Call 1-877-2BE-SALT (223-7258)

 

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188

 

Phone: (708) 781-9328
Fax: (708) 781-9376

 

For more information visit www.illinoisfamily.org/banquet

9/11 Remembrances: NO, WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN

Share your memories of September 11, 2001 with RFFM.org

Note from the Executive Director:

Every generation can recall an event that is collectively seared into the mind of a nation and its people.  From the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 to the assassination of John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 and now including that horrible day on Sept. 11, 2001, individuals can tell you where they were, what they were doing and the thoughts that were permanently seared into their minds on those days.  The most mundane recollections became riveting stories of the human experience, designed to be filed away in an emotional time capsule which will never be lost. 

In 2006, RFFM.org commemorated the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy by interviewing five members of the local and national media.  Chicago area journalists shared their recollections of 9/11 five years after the devastating attacks which took the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children in New York, Washington, D.C. and in a rural field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Touching, riveting and emotional--these individuals expose their inner feelings about one more day that will live in American infamy. Read the thoughts of Charlie Wojciechowski--NBC 5 Chicago; Phil Ponce--host, Chicago Tonight WTTW (PBS); Chuck Goudie--ABC 7 Chicago; Mike Flannery--CBS 2 Chicago; and Michael J. Waters--publisher and editor, Daily Southtown (now called the Southtown Star).

RFFM.org thought it appropriate to once again post these poignant recollections of a day that truly will never be forgotten.

2011 will mark ten years since Islamic fanatics attempted to destroy the American spirit.  RFFM.org would like to hear your recollections on what you were doing and how you felt when you first learned of this national tragedy.  We would like to hear from all Americans and select a number of comments which will be featured in next year's 9/11 observance of another "day that will live in infamy"...."lest we forget".  

Please feel free to post a comment now which will be shared with RFFM.org readers from across the United States and the world.

Daniel T. Zanoza

 

 

********************** 

Charlie Wojciechowski, reporter, NBC 5 Chicago 
 
It was the first thing I saw when I switched on the TV that morning, live video of the second plane exploding as it sliced into the World Trade Center.  Matt Lauer and Katie Couric had been talking about what had, at first, seemed a terrible accident.  Then came the sinking feeling that it was not, and that the world would change forever.
 
Before I could reach for my toothbrush, the phone rang.  It was Angie Rosemond, my assignment editor.  In a calm and measured voice she told me to get to the Federal Building.  My crew would meet me there.  That started a day that none of us will ever forget.  The memories remain in the form of surreal images: standing with dozens of others as we watched the towers collapse on the monitors inside our live truck; waiting in a silent O'Hare parking lot, the staging area closest to then grounded airport; looking up at the Sears Tower, wondering if we would be next.
 
It was a frightening reality that to this day shapes thoughts, opinions and reactions to world events and one that is seared into our collective memory.
 
********************** 
 
Phil Ponce, Host, “Chicago Tonight” WTTW -- Channel 11

I woke up that morning to follow my usual routine of having a cup of coffee at the kitchen table while reading the morning papers.  Normally I never watch morning television while reading.  For some reason, though, I turned on “Good Morning America.”  I recall that Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer were anchoring.  A few minutes after I tuned in, one of them interjected that there was a report that a small plane had crashed into one of the towers at the World Trade Center and that they would have more information as it became available.

Soon afterwards, they had a live picture of the towers and while information about the first incident was coming in, I saw the second plane go into the second tower as it happened in real time.  I could barely believe what I had just seen on my little counter-top TV set and at first it almost didn’t register.  Then Charlie Gibson said something like, “We’re under attack.”  That’s when it clicked.  I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.  And when the towers fell, I felt a mixture of revulsion, grief and anger.

At some point during all this I got a phone call from one of our producers.  She was the first one I talked to (my wife was out of town).  I was glad the producer called.  I needed another human being to connect with—even if it was just on the phone.  Later there were more phone calls; from other colleagues about how to fashion a program that night.  And my children called from college needing to process the events with their parents.  They had questions.  Why would somebody do this?  Are we safe?  Where was God in all this?  Good questions then.  Good questions now.

********************** 
 
Chuck Goudie, reporter, ABC 7 Chicago 
 
The American flags did it for me.  There were hundreds of them hung from expressway overpasses, gas stations, truck windows and car antennas within hours of the attack. It was reflex for so many people after their turf was attacked. Hang the red white and blue.

Producer Ann Pistone, cameraman Steve Erwin and I lost count of how many flags we saw on the interstate between Chicago and Manhattan that devastating day. We had left the Loop a few hours after the assault, realizing there would be no flights to get us there. We drove all day and night watching the flags fly by. Some were strung up, others were in the hands of people who must have felt compelled to do something to express their heartache, dismay and helplessness.
 
Except for necessities we never stopped that day, aiming at ground zero as if it was the end of a tunnel. The corridor of flags gave me personal comfort and certainty that day, that despite the darkness, there was light and strength. Even while standing at ground zero a few hours later, breathing the remains of the world trade center, the American flags that guided our way to lower Manhattan made it clear that we as a nation would survive.

Five years later, it seems most of the flags have been packed away...until the next time.
 
********************** 
 
Mike Flannery, reporter, CBS 2 Chicago 
 
I remember remarking on the beautiful morning sunshine as I walked into a barber shop.  Otto had opened early to accommodate my need for a pre-work appointment.  We were the only ones in the shop.  He put some classical music on the sound system, made us some coffee and went to work trimming and clipping.  At some point, the telephone rang.  It was Otto’s wife.
 
Without putting the phone down, and without saying anything to me, he hurried over to turn on a TV.  We saw a live picture of both towers burning, then the broadcast cut away to replay video tape of a large passenger jet slamming into the second building. Otto said something in German to his wife, hung up, then slumped into a chair.  We sat in stunned silence.
 
I was having trouble wrapping my mind around what I was watching.  This was an act of evil mass-murder, conceived and executed by some very smart people. My first suspects:  “Death-to-America” Islamists, never mind that I’d been wrong in the same surmise after the Oklahoma City bombing.
 
I called the office as I raced the 4-5 blocks to get there.  They were already deploying reporters and camera crews, though it was unclear when we would ever get on the air, since CBS was going wall-to-wall with reports from New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.  I was sent to the Sears Tower, in time to see nervous workers heading home, perhaps a dozen stopping to ask me if what they’d heard was true … that another hijacked plane was still aloft and headed for the Loop.  I said what I knew: we could not determine the source of that rumor and government officials told us they thought it was untrue.
 
In a short time, no planes of any kind were visible.  The empty sky above the Loop’s almost empty-streets was eerie.  The eventual appearance of military fighter jets flying CAP (Combat Air Patrol) made it even eerier.
 
********************** 
 
Michael J. Waters, publisher and editor, Daily Southtown 
 
I was driving to the newspaper office when I tuned in WBBM Newsradio.  The live feeds from New York reported a shocking story -- that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers in what appeared to be deliberate acts.  I was desperate to get to work to get the newsroom rolling on the story; the 30-minute drive seemed to take forever.
 
I was the first editor in the newsroom that morning.  I started calling reporters and other editors on their cell phones to either urge them to get into the office as quickly as possible or get them into the field at locations such as the Sears Tower.  Employees from throughout the building--including our advertising, circulation and accounting departments--gathered in clusters in stunned silence around the TVs mounted on the newsroom walls to watch the news reports.  Some wiped away tears as they watched the shocking images of the crumbling towers.
 
As more editors arrived to help coordinate our coverage, we quickly decided that we wanted to put out an extra edition.  It wasn't difficult to convince our publisher that this story was important enough to justify the Daily Southtown's first extra since the death of (Chicago Mayor) Harold Washington 14 years earlier.  The next few hours were a blur as the newsroom compiled the report and we scrambled to get the extra printed and distributed.
 
It wasn't until late that night, when the Sept. 12 newspaper had been put to bed, that the emotions of the day started to hit me.  We'd spent all day trying to help our readers make sense of what happened and why.  Now, in the quiet of the newsroom after deadline, we had a chance to reflect on those questions ourselves.  I think we understood even then that we'd never really be able to make sense of what happened.  And we already knew that our country would never be quite the same.
 
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RFFM.org would like to express its appreciation to the members of the media who took time to contribute to this project.  They took time out of hectic schedules to add to the historical record.  Their words have been sent to the Library of Congress and will become a permanent record, documenting their 9/11 experiences.

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Obama's Chicago On the Potomac: It's the Chicago Way

The Mob + the Daley Democratic Machine:  Lessons Learned And Now In Practice By Democratic Leadership In Washington, D.C.

by Daniel T. Zanoza, Executive Director

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  I first wrote and posted this column in January of 2009.  Little did I know at the time my commentary about Chicago-style politics and its influence on the Obama administration would be so prophetic.  From the Louisiana Purchase and the Nebraska Corn Husker Kickback, which helped to pass the Health Care Reform legislation, Washington, D.C. has seemingly become a mirror image of how things have been done in Chicago for nearly a century.

Some of the information in this piece came from a book titled "The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America" by Gus Russo.  Another great read regarding the misuse of unions and corruption is "Supermob:  How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America's Hidden Power Brokers" also penned by Gus Russo.

The city of Chicago is one of the few major metropolitan areas which runs away from its past at every opportunity.  Yet, indeed, the very construction of the city led to the term "underworld."  And with rampant corruption controlled by infamous individuals like "Big Jim" Colosimo, Al Capone, Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, Murray "The Camel" Humphrey and Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Chicago can hardly bury its past--no pun intended.

Since the turn of the 20th century, what Carl Sandburg referred to as the "City of Big Shoulders" was perhaps the center of organized crime in the United States.  Though New York had its Syndicate and Detroit had the Purple Gang, many believe true power in America's underworld was concentrated in something called the Outfit.

With the election of Barack Obama will come a great deal of history-laden baggage which will make the movie "The Godfather" seem like a Walt Disney cartoon.  Have you noticed?  It has started already.  The Rod Blagojevich story is just the tip of a giant iceberg which won't melt away any time soon.

And if you think Obama has separated himself from the political swamp which he eminated, you're wrong.

From David Axelrod (Obama's chief political handler during the election), who was nurtured on the Daley Machine, to the political organizing which Barack Obama so proudly claims a lineage, Chicago's brand of one Party politics may be a model for the Obama administration in Washington, D.C.

It is no mistake the President-elect joined Rev. Jeremiah Wright's southside Chicago church.  Obama wanted to learn the ropes of power politics and how it was played in the Windy City.  There were no better teachers than Mayor Daley and his cadre of obliging Aldermen who responded to the cracking of the political whip.  A failure to do so would quickly leave them on the outside looking in--without protection from the media, the law and any other threat which loomed on the horizon.

The question is not whether Obama will use the lessons he learned in Chicago as President.  The question is:  How much of that lesson will become the modus operandi for the Obama adminstration?  Some say it might become Chicago on the Potomac, when referring to the political mechanism Obama may surround himself with.  If so, it will be our nation's darkest nightmare come true.  And combined with the Clinton-brand of Arkansas politics, there may truly be a new day in our nation's Capitol.

Now, if you're thinking the Chicago mob is long dead and buried, you're mistaken.  In fact, some of Al Capone's descendants have significant interests in a thoroughbred race track in Cicero, Illinois--an old haunt for Chicago mobsters.  That's right, I'm talking about Scar Face, the man who controlled the Chicago underworld during the Roaring 20's and left a legacy of mobster-run activities which lasts 'til this very day.

But how did the Daley Machine take root in Chicago?  A book titled, "The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America" written by Gus Russo and published in 2001 gave Americans a frigthening glimpse into the Daley Machine and how it got its start.

After Capone left power, due to his conviction on tax evasion charges in the early 1930's, it was Ricca, Humphrey and Accardo who truly called the shots in what many refer to as the Mafia.  Even "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, originators of organized crime in New York would not make a move without consulting the Chicago Triumvirate whose innovation and power criminologists say was matched by none.

Since the hay-days of mob activity in Chicago, the city has done everything possible to shed its dark past.  But its reputation lives on--despite the efforts of the current Mayor, Richard M. Daley.  In the early century, individuals like "Big Jim" Colisimo controlled gambling and prostitution in the city.  With the advent of Prohibition, organized crime found its true calling through the sale of bootleg alcohol, combined with the pandering trade.  Added profits were topped off by a very lucrative illegal gambling racket.

After Capone's departure, the mob moved into the numbers game--which had made millions for underworld entrepreneurs in the African-American community.  Union corruption--which was master-minded by Murray "The Camel" Humphrey--brought great fortune to the Outfit as well.  Eventually, the mob moved into the illicit drug trade.  Until the early 1960's, the Chicago Outfit was ruled with an iron hand by Ricca, Humphrey and Accardo.  Though in later years, more flamboyant underworld figures, such as Sam "Mooney" Giancano and lesser players, including Joseph "Joey Doves" Aiuppa, and the Spilotro Brothers of the movie "Casino" fame, controlled organized crime in Chicago, the FBI virtually wiped out mob activity in the city--although remnants of the Outfit still exist today.

Chop shops and vending machines (poker, cigarettes, etc.) are still reported to be controlled by criminal entities.  But the glory days of the Chicago Outfit are said to be long gone.  Yet the public doesn't have to look far to find reminders of those wild times gone by.

Indeed, Chicago's current Mayor Richard M. Daley may not hold that office if not for the influence the Outfit had when it came to the election of his father, Richard J. Daley.  Perhaps the Daley link with organized crime is one of the reasons why the city does all it can to obscure Chicago's dark and corrupt history.  You will not find city-sponsored tours of famous gangland hang-outs.  Even historical landmarks, like the site of the St. Valentine's Day massacre at 2122 North Clark Street, though an empty lot, are nagging reminders of a bygone era which City Fathers would rather forget.

The Outfit played a significant role in Richard J. Daley's coming to power.  Hizzoner "The Boss" was the protégé of 11th Ward Committeeman, Hugh "Babe" Connelly whose ties to the mob go way back to the days of the "Moustache Pete's" who included prominent underworld figures like Johnny Torrio who first brought Capone to Chicago.  Daley took over Connelly's 11th Ward seat in 1947.  In league with people like 11th Ward Alderman "Big Joe" McDonough, by 1955 the Mob was grooming Daley to be Mayor and, with the help of the Outfit, his election became a reality.  For example, in the very mobbed-up 1st Ward, Daley won a plurality of votes by a staggering margin of 13,275 to 1,961.  After his election, Daley moved to solidify the Outfit's power in the city.  In 1956, Daley disbanded "Scotland Yard" an intelligence unit which had compiled reams of detailed records about Chicago crime figures.  All this was to the grief of the Chicago Crime Commission who believed Daley's election had set the city back a decade--as far as the prosecution of organized crime.

Perhaps Richard M. Daley received much of his education from his Father whose political coffers were stuffed with mob cash, according to the FBI.  And perhaps the free rein given to organized crime by the Father implanted ideas in the mind of the son regarding possible revenue expansion through alternative sources.  It's possible today's Chicago Mayor learned a very important lesson from Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo who secretly financed the Rivera Hotel in Las Vegas in 1955, the same year Richard J. Daley was elected Mayor.  For nearly a quarter of a century afterward, the Chicago mob skimmed literally hundreds of millions of dollars out of Las Vegas casinos--while operating with near impunity in Chicago, their home base.

Richie Daley had to see the unlimited amounts of cash that could be directed into city coffers through the expansion of gambling in Chicago.  And though most of what used to be underworld crime has been incorporated into white collar America, gambling becomes even more seductive, no matter what memories of Chicago's past may be dredged up in the process.

Related article:  Blagojevich, Daley, Obama: Peas From The Same Rotten Pod 
http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/12/blagojevich-daley-obama-peas-from-the-same-rotten-pod.html

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Road Construction: Illinois Contractors Learn How To Play Money Game

by Daniel T. Zanoza, Executive Director

 

You are driving down I-57, I-55, I-90/94, I-294 or any other major highway in Illinois.  Suddenly, you see a sign that reads "road construction ahead for next 15 miles".  The speed limit drops from 65 to 55 miles per hour and traffic begins to back up.  Let's say you are traveling north on I-55 and you are unexpectedly riding on a road which is graded and unpaved.  The other lane is in its usual condition, in need of repair or not, but there is no construction crew in sight.  In fact, there are no road crews for the entire stretch of highway that is supposed to be under construction.  You might ask why this is the case.  Well, private contractors in Illinois have learned how to play the funding game.  Instead of completing one stretch of road, before tearing up another, you find a patch work of torn up highway, sometimes for over 100 miles or more.

 

There is a reason for this.  Construction companies have learned, if they tear up a piece of road at mile marker 155 through 160 and then tear up another section of highway between mile marker 170 and 180 and repeat this process infinitum, the contracts they received from the state will have to be fulfilled.  In the past, if the state of Illinois ran out of money to pay for repairing the infrastructure of the Illinois highway system, a section of road would be left for another year's budget.  But if a road is partially completed, covering a substantial distance, the work cannot be left for another year.  That is why you will see a ten mile stretch of highway--which is in different stages of repair--not being worked on. 

 

Sometimes it's so ridiculous, a piece of highway will be torn up for a quarter mile and traffic will slow to 55 or perhaps 45 for that short distance and there will be no road work being done for 25 miles or more.  Often you will see signs which says "road construction ahead" and then come across another sign which tells you that you are out of the construction zone when there was no construction being done.  This is a very clever bit of legal gamesmanship being practiced by contractors who want to make sure the contracts they signed for the jobs they bid on and won are fulfilled.  And really, in a way, you can't blame them.

 

For example, if the state signs a contract for a company to do 100 miles of road, that business will make sure they get paid for 100 miles of road repair by doing it peacemeal.  In the past, road construction was done in a linear fashion, complete one section of road and move on to the next. 

 

So, the next time you're sitting in a traffic jam and wondering how long it's going to take you today to get through the construction zone, first of all you can thank the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" better known as the stimulus package, for your plight.  No, the highway you're traveling on probably didn't need repair, but there were billions of dollars to spend.  Your tax dollars, or let's say your children's tax dollars or perhaps their children's tax dollars.  And thanks to some clever road construction contractors, you might expect that ride--which usually took a half hour--to last twice the time.  So, pop in another one of your favorite cd's or listen to your I-Pod and plan to leave early, but at least now you know the reason why.

 

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Saturday's Illinois Forum Banquet To Be One Of The Most Interesting Political Events Of The Year

NOTE:  In a highly contentious political year, the upcoming Illinois Forum banquet is a "can't miss" event.  I find the fact Scott Lee Cohen will address the group to be highly interesting, to say the least. 

 

"We sent invitations to all the major candidates seeking office in the upcoming midterm election," said Bob Redfern, Chairman, Illinois Forum. "One of the Illinois Forum's reasons for existence is to inform Illinois voters about issues, candidates and the respective positions they hold."

 

Cohen, who was defeated in the Democratic gubernatorial primary by incumbent Governor Pat Quinn, will speak.  And, though I may not agree with his political agenda, he certainly was a major player in the Democratic primary and I'd like to hear what the man has to say.  We will have other guest speakers representing the entire political spectrum.

 

There are some tickets available.  We are expecting a big crowd and if you're worried about not being able to get in, don't fret...we'll make room. -- Dan Zanoza, Illinois Forum, Board of Governors

 

From Illinois Forum's press release (Who, What, When, Where) 

 

The Illinois Forum, a public policy group, will hold its 21st annual luncheon at 12 Noon on Saturday, August 28th at the Round Barn Centre, 1900 Round Barn Road in Champaign.  Scheduled speakers include gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen, who is running as an Independent; Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Lex Green; Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jason Plummer; and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski.  

 

Also invited to attend is GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk.

 

Tickets are $25 each and are available by calling Bob Redfern at (618) 842-7246.  Tickets may also be purchased at the door. 

 

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