From Da Tech Guy: Well-deserved pushback against Chicago Monuments Project underway

 Progress is being made. From my post at Da Tech Guy: Well-deserved pushback against Chicago Monuments Project underway.

The Rainmakers - Small Circles

The Rainmakers don't perform too many love songs, although this one is about lost love.

Here's that rarity, from their second album, "Small Circles."

Chicago monuments under assault, Part Three, Melville Fuller

America has had 17 chief justices of the US Supreme Court but only one was a Chicagoan, Augusta, Maine-born Melville Fuller. He served 21 years in that position, from 1888 until his death in 1910, the third-longest tenure of a chief justice. Fuller was a dead-ringer for Mark Twain, who also died in 1910.

Fuller, a Democrat who was appointed to the Court by Grover Cleveland, has a bronze bust that sits outside the field house at his eponymous Fuller Park in the Fuller Park neighbhorhood, which is located immediately south of Guaranteed Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox. And this bust is "under review" by the Chicago Monuments Project.

Click here to see a photograph of the bust.

In response to the riot ouside the since-moved Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park, Mayor Lori Lightfoot initiated the Chicago Monuments Project. 

Fuller is best-remembered for the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson 7-1 decision that legalized racial segregation, that is, "seperate but equal." He voted with majority--they got it wrong--the majority opinion was written by another justice. And that is why Fuller's bust is in jeopardy. Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Eight years ago a descendant of the chief justice, Robert Fuller, donated a bronze statue of Melville that has stood outside the Kennebec County courthouse in Augusta, Maine. Earlier this month county commissioners there unanimoulsly voted to move the Fuller statue to another location, one that has not been determined. 

The Fuller bust, designed by William Ordway Partridge, is based on his marble bust of the chief justice, which is on display inside the US Capitol. 

Prior to his being named to the Supreme Court, Fuller served as a member of the Illinois General Assembly, he was a delegate to the 1862 Illinois constitutional convention, and he was a president of the Illinois Bar Association. According to the Chicago Park District, "As the attorney for the South Park Board of Commissioners from 1882 to 1886, Fuller made several decisions that were instrumental to Chicago’s parks, particularly concerning the development of the lakefront."

To comment on the Fuller bust and the forty others "under review" please visit the Chicago Monuments Project "Feedback page." Please be polite but firm in your comments.

If you Tweet this post--and I urge you to do so--please use the #ChicagoMonuments hashtag.

Earlier posts: 

Chicago monuments under assault, Part One, William McKinley

Chicago monuments under assault, Part Two, Young Lincoln

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy

Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln: The Man)

Joe Biden repeats false claim that there was no vaccination plan from Trump administration

Is Joe Biden lying? Or his he suffering from cognitive decline? Or is it both? 

Yes, there was a plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines during the Donald Trump presidency.

Part 4 Bloody Chicago 2020, The Three Angels

Victor Maggio looks back at 2020 and his own past in this Bloody Chicago video.

Tucker: Democrats are importing migrants to expand voting base

Why are Democrats always claiming that there are just 11 million illegal aliens in America? Tucker Carlson explains.

 

Chicago monuments under assault, Part Two, Young Lincoln

Young Lincoln

Yes, Abraham Lincoln is under attack in the Land of Lincoln. 

In response to the July riot at the site of Grant Park's Christopher Columbus statue--which led to that monument and another Columbus statue to be moved to storage, Chicago's inept mayor, Lori Lightfoot created the Chicago Monuments Commission to review public statues and the like for "review."

Review before removal? I suspect. 

I used to drive past Young Lincoln, which was designed by Charles Keck, a couple of times a week when I lived on the North Side of the city, the bronze work sits at Senn Park on Clark Street. 

Keck was an apprentice of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed the masterpiece Abraham Lincoln: The Man that I discussed in length Sunday at Da Tech Guy.

In 1951 Young Lincoln was placed on display at the Civil War museum at the main branch of the Chicago Public Library downtown. When that building became the Chicago Cultural Center, a new home was needed and the statue was moved to Senn Park. An apocryphal story is that during the 1860 presidential campaign the Republican nominee gave a speech at a farm where this park now lies.

To comment on Young Lincoln and the forty others "under review" please visit the Chicago Monuments Project "Feedback page." Please be polite but firm in your comments.

If you Tweet this post--and I urge you to do so--please use the #ChicagoMonuments hashtag.

Earlier post: 

Chicago monuments under assault, Part One, William McKinley

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy: 

Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln: The Man)

Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harrasment

Andrew Cuomo's well-manicured image is falling apart. 

Good. 

From CBS Albany:

Linsey Boylan, who is a former staffer to Governor Cuomo, and is also running for Manhattan Borough President, has published a blogpost online, detailing what she says is her experience with working with Governor Cuomo. 

Back in mid December, she accused the Governor of sexual harassment by making inappropriate comments about her appearance. 

Boylan worked for the Cuomo administration from March 2015 to October 2018, serving first as executive vice president of Empire State Development and then as a special adviser to Cuomo for economic development. 

Cuomo told reporters that Boylan's claims were “not true.”

Today I am telling my story. I never planned to share the details of my experience working in the Cuomo administration, but I am doing so now in hopes that it may make it easier for others to speak their own truth. https://t.co/n1Lcc6Ac66

— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) February 24, 2021

After 3 days on job Boss Madigan's handpicked successor for his state House seat quits--at Madigan's urging

Sure the numbers of the district changed over the years but Boss Michael Madigan, the former chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and until last month, speaker of the state House for 36 of the last 38 years, held his House seat for 50 years.

Boss Madigan--who remains as Democratic committeman of Chicago's 13th Ward--had enough of the weighted vote to handpick his successor. And so he did. 

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

From ABC Chicago:

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan's replacement for his statehouse seat has resigned after just three days on the job. Edward Guerra Kodatt, 26, was just sworn in as representative for Illinois' 22nd District on Sunday.

The office of House Speaker Chris Welch confirmed Wednesday that the House clerk received Kodatt's resignation.

The resignation comes one day after Madigan and Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn released a statement that said: "After learning of alleged questionable conduct by Mr. Kodatt, it was suggested that he resign as state representative for the 22nd District. We are committed to a zero tolerance policy in the workplace."

Last night Madigan and the 13th Ward alderman, Marty Quinn, released a statement calling on Kodatt to quit. 

From 50 years on the job to just three days. Sheesh.

New Marathon Pundit series: Chicago monuments under assault, Part One, William McKinley

Last Wedneday the city of Chicago, in response to the summer riot that nearly toppled Grant Park's Christopher Columbus statue, announced the Chicago Monuments Project. 

Forty one statues, reliefs, plaques, and plaques have been listed "for public discussion." Five Abraham Lincoln statures are on this list

Yeah, in bold print there the site says, "No decisions have been made about the following monuments." 

Maybe.

We need to preserve our heritage and our public artwork for the left-wing "cancel culture." 

So I'm going to do a post on each one of these pieces. I'm starting off with our 25th president, William McKinley. He's known for three things, McKinley was president during the Spanish-American War and that he was assassinated in 1901. Shortly after his murder McKinley Park on Chicago's Southwest Side was commissioned. 

Some of the photographs in this series will be my own work. This one was taken by friend-of-the-blog Sam C. of the Southwest Side. 

As you can see the McKinley statue is bronze and it was designed by Irish immigrant Charles Mulligan, a prominent Chicago artist. 

To comment on the McKinley monument and the forty others "under review" please visit the Chicago Monuments Project "Feedback page." Please be polite but firm in your comments.

If you Tweet this post--and I urge you to do so--please use the #ChicagoMonuments hashtag.

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy: 

Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln: The Man)

After a year because of COVID-19 Chicago to reopen lakefront parks soon

Nothing says "COVID" hotspot to me like the open space of Chicago's sprawling lakefront parks. 

From CBS Chicago:

Nearly a year after the city’s lakefront, playgrounds, and indoor swimming pools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago Park District plans to begin reopening them soon.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office said the Chicago Park District will announce the reopening plans on Tuesday as the city continues to see improvements in coronavirus metrics.

The mayor's office said the Park District will begin reopening public access points to parks east of Lake Shore Drive, and will lift restrictions on lakefront parking.

In the coming weeks, the Park District also will unlock gates and prepare all 500 playgrounds and nature spaces in the city to reopen.

Boss Madigan quits as Illinois Democrat Party chairman

Graphic courtesy of the 
Illinois Policy Institute

This afternoon I drove to southeastern Wisconsin for my job and once again I marveled at the many massive buildings hosting factories, offices, and warehouses in Kenosha and Racine County. 

There is no building boom on the Illinois side of the border. Why is that? Not only are taxes lower north of the Cheese Curtain there isn't a grifter culture in America's Dairyland. Unlike in Illinois, the state that was destroyed by Boss Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). 

For 36 of the last 38 years Madigan was the speaker of the Illinois House. He's been the chairman of the state Democratic Party from 1998. 

Until recently. 

House Democrats, after a bad election for the left where Madigan was used against Dem candidates in ads, dumped him as House speaker. Last week Madigan resigned his House seat. Today he quit the party chairmanship. 

He's gone but like Chernobyl his radioactive waste will remain and it will take many years to clean up. In his House resignation letter Madigan whined about "vicious attacks" against him. The splendily effective Illinois Policy Institute led the charge. They are entitled to many victory laps. Some came from me. I'm going to take a lap too.

So should the remaining decent people in the Land of Lincoln.

Part: 3 Bloody Chicago, 792 Murdered, 4,174 Shot in 2020

I'm a bit late getting to this well-done Bloody Chicago video. 

Among other things the ten-most violent neighborhoods in Chicago are noted. Roseland, where I lived as a small boy, starts off the list.

Pritzker to sign bill today eliminating cash bail in Illinois

In about an hour Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker will sign a bill that will end cash bail in Illinois. Conveniently in this wideraging bill the bail provision doesn't come into effect until January 1, 2023, two months after Election Day. 

From NBC Chicago:

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to sign a criminal justice and police reforms bill Monday that will mean the end of cash bail in Illinois and the introduction of new "police accountability" protocols.

Pritzker plans to sign the bill at noon at the Gwendolyn Brooks Library at Chicago State University, according to his public schedule.

He will be joined by lawmakers, law enforcement officers and community advocates. House Bill 3653, authored by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, was passed by the General Assembly last month.

Happy birthday George Washington

The Father of our Country was born on this day in 1732. On the northeast corner of Washington Park on Chicago's South Side stands this statue of our first president, it's on the "public discussion" list of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Chicago Monuments Project. 

Which means--despite the denials--it could be removed. 

Read my Da Tech Guy post on other statues in peril:

Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln

From Da Tech Guy: Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln

 Chicago idiocy has no limits. From my post at Da Tech Guy: Lincoln statues under attack in the largest city in the Land of Lincoln.

It's official, Biden has been president longer than William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison

Sleepy Joe Biden, 78, passed a major milestone today. He's now served as president longer than our 9th commander-in-chief, William Henry Harrison. At 68, Harrison was the oldest man elected president until Ronald Reagan dis so when he was 69. The Gipper served two full terms and of course acheived great success for America.

Harrison, a hero of the War of 1812 and the Indian Wars, was believed to be already well past his prime when he took the oath of office in 1841. Without a hat and overcoat, on a cold and windy day, Harrison gave the longest inauguration speech ever--it lasted nearly two hours. Three weeks later Harrison took ill and he passed away exactly one month after his inauguration, probably of pneumonia. 

Entire school board resigns after leaked video of mocking parents

All schools should be open now. Students, faculty members, and staffers who are COVID-19 positive should stay home. 

Easy to understand and comprehend.

I am back

A few days ago I wrote that I'm "going dark." The lights are back on. Except when I was born and the night before my daugher was born, I never spent a night in a hospital. Until Monday. Sharp abdominal pains that started the day prior that only got worse compelled me to call my insurer's nurse health line. They directed to an outpatient clinic. The nurse who examined me didn't like what she saw. 

No, she hadn't read any of my blog posts.

By this time I couldn't button my jeans--calm down I had my shirttail out and I was wearing a coat--and she told me to drive to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and report to the Emergency Room.

After a long unbuttoned six mile drive in a raging snowstorm I parked in the ER lot, walked in, declined a wheelchair--after all I am the Marathon Pundit--and after much probing and poking, including a swab up my nose to test for COVID-19, and finally a CT scan it was discovered that I had diverticulitis. 

Three days of no food, no drinking fluids, antibiotics and painkillers followed. My condition improved dramatically yesterday and now I am home. With no surgery. 

I have no idea where this came from and yes, I had two prior colonoscopies. I eat right, I work out, I don't smoke, and I'm not heavy. 

If this can happen to me it can happen to you. 

Let's go back to the day before I was admitted. That Sunday I wrote a long blog post, drove to Englewood on Chicago's South Side to take photographs, returned to Morton Grove, and then ran five miles in the bitter cold. In other words a normal day for me--despite the pain. 

After all I am the Marathon Pundit. 

Going dark

 I will not be blogging much over the next few days as I am not well. Please do not worry.

From Da Tech Guy: John Lausch needs to stay as US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

Boss Michael Madigan is no longer speaker of the Illinois House but there is plenty of corruption in this state to be rooted out. Which is why we need to keep the local federal prosecutor in place. From my post at Da Tech Guy: John Lausch needs to stay as US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Who - "Heaven and Hell" at Isle Of Wight

The Who was a unique rock band in many ways. Here's an example: In the late 1960s The Who would usually open their concerts with a John Entwistle tune--Pete Townshend was their primary songwriter--"Heaven And Hell." This hard rocker hadn't appeared on any of their studio albums,

And into 1970 they played it as well. Here is "Heaven and Hell" performed at the The Isle Of Wight Festival.

Tucker: Inside the seedy world of the 'Lincoln Project'

Now that President Trump is out of office the dirt comes out big time on the NeverTrump group the Lincoln Project. 

Coincidence?

John Ruberry on NBC Chicago's Fungus Wednesday 2/10/2021

For the second time in a month your beloved Blogger Laureate of Illinois had one of his photos featured on Brant Miller's "Fungus Wednesday" segment on the NBC Chicago 10pm News.

Biden tries to take credit for Operation Warp Speed, which was already meeting his vaccine goal

Sleepy Joe Biden is also Lying Joe Biden. To be fair he simply might be just reading off a teleprompter words that our fed to him. 

 The COVID-19 vaccine should be called the Trump Vaccine.

Tucker: Why the left wants to shut down Fox News

We live in frightening times. If you don't like Fox News don't switch it on. But leftists don't want independent thinking outside of their narrative.

They'll never run out of enemies. You should be worried even if you hate Fox News.

(PragerU) Is This the End of Women's Sports?

Selena Soule, a Connecticut high school track athlete, is suing an athletic conference because biological males, or I should just say males, are allowed to compete in competitions with girls like herself. 

Here she is in a PragerU video. 

Shop thru Marathon Pundit for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming. If you are looking for something for the beloved other person in your life, why not head over to Amazon and start shopping? Your beloved Blogger Laureate of Illinois receives a small commission--and you pay nothing extra.

If you purchase that gift now for you loved one, then you won't worry about forgetting Valentine's Day.

Click on the ad and start browsing!

Twitter says Trump's ban is permanent, even if reelected in 2024

Section 230, which protects social media companies like Twitter and Facebook from libel suits, even though they act with the impunity of a publisher, needs to be repealed.

A former Facebook insider talks about the banning process within social media here.

'The Five' slam prominent Dems attempting to walk back 'violent' rhetoric

US Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) is a fraud.

'

Tucker: Biden immigration policy designed to punish Americans

To enter the United States you need a negative COVID-19 test. Unless, since Joe Biden became president, you are an illegal alien.

(PragerU) Sephora Terminates Influencer Over Her Conservative Views

The cancel culture will come after online influencers, teachers, and mechanics. Also you. Unless we stop this madness.

On duty Chicago police detective mugged while investigating murder

Chicago's descent to Detroit status continues. 

From ABC Chicago:

A Chicago police detective was attacked and injured Monday night while investigating a previous homicide in the city's South Shore neighborhood.

Police said two men armed with a gun and knife attacked the officer from behind around 7 p.m. in the 7700-block of South Yates and began physically assaulting him while rummaging through his pockets.

The detective's partner captured one of the creeps but the other is still at large.

Part: 2 Bloody Chicago, 792 Murdered, 4,174 Shot in 2020

Emmy-award film maker Victor Maggio returns with Part 2 of his series on the violent 2020 in Chicago. And he doesn't hold back. He blows the whistle on Chicago's liberal politicians who helped create this mess. 

He also covers the riots of last summer.

Warning: Video contains foul language and graphic violence.

Two dead and at least 21 wounded in Chicago over weekend

Bullets were still flying despite subzero temperatures in Chicago over the weekend. Two people were shot to death and at least 21 others were wounded. 

One of those killed, a West Side man, was attempting to break up a fight. 

From Da Tech Guy: Detroit's stillborn revival

Guess who was back in the Motor City? From Da Tech Guy: Detroit's stillborn revival.

Sting: The Snow It Melts the Soonest (Live from Durham Cathedral)

February, at least where I live, is far hardy people. Christmas is long gone and the novelty of snow on the grown is past when the second month of the year arrives. 

So it's appropriate that I present today Sting singing an old folk song, "The Snow It Melts the Soonest."

Happy 110th birthday Ronald Reagan

As it was ten years ago on the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth here in northern Illinois, it's a cold day with a lot of snow on the ground. 

On this day 110 years ago the Gipper was born above a bakery on Main Street in Tampico, Illinois.

Here's my report on that day: Report from Tampico, Illinois on Reagan's 100th birthday.

Part: 1 Bloody Chicago, 792 Murdered, 4,174 Shot in 2020

This week Victor Maggio of Bloody Chicago looks back at the turbulent 2020 in Chicago. In Part 1 my friend covers a lot of bases, incluing the spikes in the murder rate and carjackings, the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the violence, and the response to it by the inept mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot. 

And Maggio looks back at his own past, warts and all.

But on the positive side, Victor was awarded with a Chicago Emmy this year.

This video is listed as age-restricted by YouTube, so you may have to view it from that platform.

Five Chicagoans so far charged for murder or shooting someone this year while on bail on a serious felony charge

Extreme left-wing Kim Foxx, Cook County's chief prosecutor, promised affordable bail for accussed criminals, CWB Chicago is reporting.

Which is leading to more crime. 

Voters, you get the goverment you deserve.

As for #5 he has a rather extensive rep sheet that goes back to 2011. when he was sixteen.

Biden's first jobs report a bad one

Yeah, I know, Joe Biden didn't becocme president until three weeks ago. But Sleepy Joe's first jobs report stinks. 

From CNBC:

Job growth returned to the U.S. in January, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 49,000 while the unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, the Labor Department said Friday in the first employment report of the Biden administration. 

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for growth of 50,000 and the unemployment to hold unchanged at 6.7%. However, many analysts on Wall Street had been looking for higher numbers; Citigroup had projected a gain of 250,000.

The Democrats are the lockdown party and their wrecking of the economy shows.

More:

Just over 10 million remain unemployed, 4.3 million more than a year ago though the number decreased by 606,000 in January. Companies slashed jobs in March and April to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and most sectors remain below their pre-pandemic levels. 

The damage has been particularly acute in the hospitality industry, as governments across the country have forced hotels, bars and restaurants either to close or operate at reduced capacity to halt the coronavirus spread.

Whitmer wants four lawyers in Michigan disbarred over Trump election lawsuits

Here's a story that I heard about while in Detroit this week, one that needs more coverage. 

Such actions are what you see in Venezuela and Russia. 

From the Hill:

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and top state officials are calling for the disbarment of four lawyers who sought to invalidate the state’s presidential election results in court.

Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) called for the disbarment of Michigan’s Greg Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Junttila, as well as Texas-based Sidney Powell, a pro-Trump lawyer who promoted unproven election fraud claims.

The state officials accused the attorneys of contributing to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot through their involvement in litigation that would overturn President Biden’s victory in the state, according to The Detroit News.

The four “used their law license in an attempt to disenfranchise Michigan voters and undermine the faith of the public in the legitimacy of the recent presidential election, and lent credence to untruths that led to violence and unrest,” the officials wrote.

Lawyers often take on clients who are unpopular and contrarversial. After Whitmer and her allies go after Trump's lawyers who will be next?

On the road

 I am off for a few days from blogging. I'll be back in a few days!