Chicago Chamber of Commerce seeks ‘business friendly' city council » peoplesworld

Chicago Chamber of Commerce seeks ‘business friendly' city council » peoplesworld

Human rights group urges action on parole for Oscar Lopez » peoplesworld

Human rights group urges action on parole for Oscar Lopez » peoplesworld

Where is the next Milton Rogovin? Gage Gallery opens Working-Class Eye exhibit » peoplesworld

Where is the next Milton Rogovin? Gage Gallery opens Working-Class Eye exhibit » peoplesworld

Is Rahm Emanuel the right choice for Chicago? » peoplesworld

Is Rahm Emanuel the right choice for Chicago? » peoplesworld

Gov. Quinn: sign the death penalty abolition bill - Former judges and prosecutors say

The letter below was sent yesterday to Gov. Quinn signed by 65 retired judges and prosecutors, both state and federal. This underscores the need for people to keep calling the Governor urging him to sign the bill!

-------------------------------------------------------------



January 21, 2011



Hon. Pat Quinn

Governor of Illinois

207 State House

Springfield, Illinois 62706



RE: Death Penalty Abolition Bill



Dear Governor Quinn:



We - a group of former state and federal prosecutors, judges, assistant attorneys general, and U.S. Justice Department lawyers - urge you to sign the death penalty abolition bill passed by the General Assembly.

We are deeply concerned, as we know you are, about public safety. But there simply is
no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime. Also, particularly given our state's severe budget problems, it is apparent that we are spending scarce public funds on a punishment that is flawed and rarely imposed. In the last decade, it has been reported that more than $100 million has been expended from the Capital Litigation Trust Fund on pretrial investigations of some 500 potential capital cases. During that period, only 20 defendants have been sentenced to death and only 15 of those remain on death row. We are living in a time of fiscal crisis. Throughout Illinois, law enforcement officials are struggling to find needed dollars for police, forensic investigations, and aggressive prosecution of a wide range of criminal activity. The vast sums that would be spent on the death penalty in the years ahead are sorely needed for other, more effective law enforcement purposes.

It has been argued that we need the death penalty as a means of obtaining guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences, but using the death penalty as an instrument of coercion has led to false pleas and erroneous convictions. It also has been argued that we should retain the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes, such as multiple murder, murder of children, and murder of police officers. Limiting the death penalty to those cases, however, would not solve the underlying flaws that inevitably occur when the authorities are under pressure to win convictions in high-profile cases.

After a full and fair debate, our elected representatives have sensibly voted to end the death penalty. We urge you to sign the bill.

Sincerely,


Cynthia Giacchetti
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney

On behalf of herself and the following:



Thomas M. Breen
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney



James B. Burns
Former U. S. Attorney



Stuart Chanen
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Patrick M. Collin s
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



William F. Conlon
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Vincent 1. Connelly
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



George J . Cotsirilos
Former Assistant Cook County
State's Attorney



William Cousins
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



Jeffrey H. Cramer
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Matthew C. Crowl
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Joseph J. Duffy
Former First Assistant U. S. Attorney
& Chief of the Criminal Division



Thomas A. Durkin
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Zack Fardon
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Gabriel A. Fuentes

Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Chris C. Gair
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



John N. Gallo
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Alan Greiman
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice



Ted S. Helwig
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Patricia Brown Holmes
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge

Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney



Gary V. Johnson
Former Kane County State’s Attorney



Walter Jones
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Michael H. King
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney
For Attorney, U. S. Department of Justice
Organized Crime and Racketeering
Section



John Kocoras
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Steven M. Kowal
Former U. S. Department of Justice
Attorney



Michael Kreloff
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General



Scott Lassar
Former U. S. Attorney



Marvin Leavitt
Former Cook County Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



George N. Leighton
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former U. S. District Court Judge



Lori E. Lightfoot
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Robert A. Loeb
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney



Jeremy Margolis
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney
Former Special Assistant Lake County
State’s Attorney (Prosecutor of Hector Ruben Sanchez)



William J. Martin
Former Assistant Cook County
State's Attorney (Chief Prosecutor of Richard Speck)



Mary Ann G. McMorrow
Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court
Judge
Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney



Paddy McNamara

Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



Michael D. Monico
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Jorge Montes

Former Assistant Cook County State's Attorney



Sheila Murphy
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



Gordon B. Nash, Jr.
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Lisa M. Nollar
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Mark D. Pollack
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Daniel M. Purdom
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Kwarne Y. Raoul
Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney



Daniel E. Reidy
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Dom J. Rizzi
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice



Ron S. Safer
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Stephen A. Schiller
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



John R. Schmidt
Former Deputy U. S. Attorney General



Zaldwaynaka Scott
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Karen Shields
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



Charles B. Sklarsky
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney
Former Assistant Cook County State's Attorney



Michele Smith
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



William E. Spizzirri
Former Assistant Cook County State's Attorney



David J. Stetler
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Jeffrey E. Stone
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Jeanette Sublet
Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney



James R. Streicker
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General



Thomas P. Sullivan
Former U. S. Attorney



James R. Thompson
Former U. S. Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General



Ann C. Tighe
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Scott Turow
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Alexander S. Vesselinovitch
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney



Dan K. Webb
Former U. S. Attorney



Warren D. Wolfson
Judge Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge



Sheldon T. Zenner
Former Assistant U. S. Attorney

Honeywell lockout threatens thousands in Illinois and Kentucky » peoplesworld

Honeywell lockout threatens thousands in Illinois and Kentucky » peoplesworld

Food stamp use jumps to record rates in Illinois » peoplesworld

Food stamp use jumps to record rates in Illinois » peoplesworld

A letter to fans of the NFL

Dear NFL Fan:
First off, the players of the National Football League and I want to thank you for doing your part as a fan and signing the Petition to help us Block the NFL Lockout. As you know, the NFL and team owners have planned to impose a lockout of players and fans following the expiration of the CBA on March 3, 2011.

I want to make you aware of a very important online movement happening Tuesday, January 18th that we want you to be a part of. NFL players across the league and fans are participating in a #LETUSPLAY Day, and we want YOU to join us. It will be an opportunity for you to team up with players as we stand together to help prevent the NFL Lockout. Here’s how you can help:

· Tell EVERYONE you can about www.NFLLockout.com and how they can sign the Petition to Block the Lockout

· Donate your Facebook status by posting: “Today is LET US PLAY Day. Help NFL Players and Fans Block the Lockout. Visit NFLLockout.com and sign the Petition.”

· Tweet the following: “Today is #LETUSPLAY Day. Help #NFL Players & Fans #BlocktheLockout. Visit NFLLockout.com and sign the Petition.”

· You can participate in a #LETUSPLAY Chat with me and other players on Facebook and Twitter that day. We will also be responding to fan questions on Ustream and our YouTube page.

In addition, please be sure to follow these social media profiles:

Twitter
Twitter.com/NFLLockout
Twitter.com/NFLPA
Twitter.com/DeSmithNFLPA
Twitter.com/GeorgeAtallah

Facebook
Facebook.com/NFLLockout
Facebook.com/NFLPA

NFL Players Association
www.NFLPlayers.com
www.NFLLockout.com

Thanks so much for your support and here’s to blocking the NFL Lockout and having NFL games to watch in 2011.


Sincerely,

Kevin Mawae
NFLPA President

Illinois: One pen away from abolishing the death penalty » peoplesworld

Illinois: One pen away from abolishing the death penalty » peoplesworld

Red-baiting muddies the waters » peoplesworld

Red-baiting muddies the waters » peoplesworld

Call Gov. Quinn - abolish the death penalty!

The Illinois General Assembly has passed SB3539 to repeal the death penalty!. We’re just one signature away from making history as the 16th state without the death penalty!

Please contact Governor Quinn right away to tell him you hope he’ll sign the death penalty repeal bill.

You can leave at a message at one of these numbers below. You can say, "I'm from [city] and I want Gov Quinn to sign the bill to end the death penalty."

Chicago Office - 312-814-2121
Springfield Office - 217-782-0244

Call first, then you can also click here to send him a message online.

For more talking points, click here.

The Governor is getting many calls today, so if your call doesn’t go through or a voicemail box is full – please call back later.

Where is the Governor on the issue?

The Governor has not indicated one way or the other how he’ll handle this bill, so we should be supportive and encouraging for him to take this important step for Illinois.

In the past, Governor Quinn has indicated support for the death penalty, while also express concerns about the problems with the system. You can remind him that regardless of his position on the death penalty, Illinois’ history has made clear the system is broken and our legislators have sent the strong message that the system can’t be fixed. Illinois can no longer afford to keep our costly and error-ridden death penalty.

Spread the word – be sure your friends and family also contact the Governor. He needs to hear from as many of us as possible.

For other ways to contribute to the campaign, contact organizer Liz Moran for ideas and direction and we'll put you to work to end the death penalty. liz@icadp.org or 312-673-3816.

National Labor Relations Board Finds Charter Schools Are Public Schools

From Chicago ACTS:

CHICAGO—Two new rulings by the National Labor Relations Board make clear that charter schools are public schools and, therefore, that charter school employees are able to organize into a union under Illinois state law.

Teachers at Latino Youth High School and Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy, both located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, filed for union recognition with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board last fall, after a majority of teachers at both schools signed union authorization cards. They would be represented by Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Chicago ACTS), an affiliate of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers.

Petitioning the National Labor Relations Board, school officials challenged the IELRB’s jurisdiction over the charter schools, claiming the schools were private entities that required an NLRB-supervised election. Despite receiving public funding, the schools claimed they were private sector employers and therefore fall under federal, not state, jurisdiction. The NLRB refused to recognize the schools as private employers.

“This ruling sends a strong message to charter school operators that these schools are clearly public schools and their teachers must be afforded the same rights as any other public school teacher,” said Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery. “Any effort by charter operators to duck their obligations under state law by arguing that they are private employers is a waste of taxpayer money and a waste of time that is better spent working with the teachers and giving them a voice in improving their schools.”

Latino Youth High School is run by the nonprofit group Pilsen Wellness Center, and Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy is run by the nonprofit Instituto del Progreso Latino. Both schools contract with Youth Connection Charter School, which holds the charter to operate the schools. Even before the ruling came out, school leaders at Rudy Lozano had already agreed to recognize and work with the newly formed teachers union.

According to both rulings, the schools and the nonprofits that run them are public entities under state law, and “the school itself is specifically defined as a public school.” Both schools must accept all eligible students who apply, just like any other public school in the state, and they both must comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Youth Connection Charter School operates 22 other campuses. Teachers at Howard Area Leadership Academy, which is part of the YCCS network, also filed for union representation and is awaiting certification by the state.

Since the start of the school year, four Chicago-area charter schools—including the three YCCS schools—have filed for union representation with the IELRB. The other school, Chicago Math and Science Academy, has been certified by the IELRB. And although the NLRB has refused to recognize the school as a private employer, school officials continue to appeal the NLRB’s decision, spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in attorney’s fees to oppose the union.

In the past two years, teachers at a dozen Chicago-area charter schools have unionized and become part of Chicago ACTS.

[Chicago ACTS press release]

Illinois Senate votes to abolish death penalty!

The news just got even better from Illinois. Moments ago, the Illinois State Senate, passed SB 3539, the bill to repeal the state's death penalty, on a 32-25 vote!

This follows action this morning, when the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill on a 7-4 vote. This truly is a day long-awaited in Illinois, across the country, and around the world. After 10 years of moratorium, Illinois' state legislature has spoken clearly -- both houses have passed abolition.

Sachin Chheda
Deputy Director
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Communist Party mourns victims in AZ shooting; Decries incitement » cpusa

Communist Party mourns victims in AZ shooting; Decries incitement » cpusa

Illinois House moves to abolish death penalty » peoplesworld

Illinois House moves to abolish death penalty » peoplesworld

Sharing Stream, Real-time Sharing, Trending Shares - ShareThis Stream

Sharing Stream, Real-time Sharing, Trending Shares - ShareThis Stream

Big business drives Illinois anti-teacher bill » peoplesworld

Big business drives Illinois anti-teacher bill » peoplesworld

Illinois House votes to repeal the Death Penalty!

From Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty:

SB 3539, the bill to repeal Illinois' death penalty, passed successfully in the House of Represenatives! Thank you for calling your Representatives and making it happen. But it's not over yet: SB 3539 still needs to pass the Senate!

Let's keep up the momentum. Please call your senator at the Capitol right now at (217) 782-2000 and ask for them by name.

The death penalty is almost repealed in Illinois! Call your senator and say, "I'm a constituent and I urge you to support SB 3539."

Other ways you can help:

1. Ask a friend to call their legislators
2. Forward this e-mail to friends
3. E-mail liz@icadp.org if you'd like to help us submit letters to the editor
4. Become a fan on Facebook/icadp

Banks, corporations seek to ram school privatization bill through Illinois legislature

By John Bachtell and Lance Cohn
CHICAGO – Under the guise of “school reform,” big corporate foundation, banking and speculative hedge fund investors are pulling out all stops to ram a measure through the Illinois state legislature that outlaws teachers’ right to strike and eliminates tenure and seniority rights.

The measure (deceptively called the “Performance Counts Act”) was actually written by these same interests and is expected to be voted on in the state house within days.

“The drafters of this legislation– Stand for Children and Advance Illinois – appear to have one goal in mind – turn teaching in Illinois into a low-wage, high-turnover job,” declared Karen Lewis, President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). “The bill would gut teachers’ unions statewide, maximize firing teachers at will, and dial up the already high level of distrust and stress administrators and teachers endure.”

Stand for Children is a national organization based in Oregon, headed by Jonas Edelman, son of well known children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman (she has no relationship to these efforts). The foundation gets significant funding from billionaire Bill Gates and other wealthy interests.

Advance Illinois is a front group for investment capital based in Chicago and co-chaired by former Republican Governor Jim Edgar and William M. Daley, a vice president of JPMorgan Chase, and brother of Mayor Richard M. Daley. The director of the group is Robin Steans, whose father Harrison Steans is chair of Financial Investments Corporation and the Steans Family Foundation, a big backer of charter schools.

Some of these same interests are heavily involved with Mayor Daley’s school privatization initiative known as Renaissance 2010.

Many see the legislative effort as opening wide the floodgates for school privatization and corporate investment in charter schools by eliminating or severely weakening the most powerful obstacle – unions that represent over 200,000 teachers statewide.

Teachers and their unions are being demonized non-stop by the corporate mass media as the main enemy of “school reform.” It is being said the only difference between good schools and bad schools are bad teachers that must be gotten rid of, without due process and at the discretion of the school principal.

The effort appears to be driven by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, although it has widespread support among Republican lawmakers. It comes weeks after the same financial forces brazenly poured over $650,000 into 9 key legislative races in the November elections.

Among those candidates backed were Reps. Keith Farnham (D-IL) and Jehan Gordon (D-IL), who received $100,000 each. Both were subsequently named to a hastily constituted “school reform” committee set up Madigan that has held hearings on the issue. The four-person bi-partisan committee is co-chaired by Rep. Linda Chapa La Via (D-IL), a charter school proponent.

While it is being rushed through the House, members of a similar Senate Committee have stated they will take their time in considering any reform proposals, according to committee chair Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-IL).

The Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and CTU recognize that not every teacher is cut out for the classroom. They have issued their own proposals for what they consider to be real school reform.

The “Accountability for All” Education Reform Legislation while protecting teachers’ rights to due process (the heart of tenure), would streamline the process for removing underperforming teachers and resolve dismissals in a shorter time. At the same time it would give teachers all the assistance that they need in order to improve.

“Every student has the right to be taught by a top-quality teacher. Teachers will also continue to have the right to advocate for their students without fear of reprisal,” said Dan Montgomery, president of the IFT.

Teachers and many educators believe the key to improving schools lies with adequate and equitable funding that would lower class sizes, limit instructional time spent on standardized testing and ensure a well rounded curriculum including art, music, physical education, foreign languages and vocational training.

“The message of this proposed law is that the state of Illinois does not respect teachers and that it intends to hold them solely responsible for students' test scores,” said Diane Ravitch, who also testified before the House Committee.

Ravitch was an assistant secretary of Education under Pres. George H.W. Bush, once touted school privatization and has since become an outspoken critic.

“This mean-spirited legislation will demoralize, demean, and dishearten the men and women who teach the children in the public schools of Illinois. Its other implicit goal is to delegitimize public education and prepare the ground for more privatization,” she said.

Teachers and their allies are urging constituents to call their state legislators and express their opposition to the bill. For more information go to www.ctunet.org or call 312-329-9100 or the IFT at 800-752-2175.