Anti-gun sentiment in NWH

An article in this morning's Northwest Herald illustrated the anti-gun sentiment prevalent with so many newspapers. The article, on page 3A under State Briefs, reported the shooting death of a 28-year-old woman in Joliet, Ill., while her 8-year-old daughter was in the back seat of her parked car.

The woman's car was parked in a Joliet driveway early Tuesday morning, when, as the article stated, "two men approached the vehicle and fired nine shots from an automatic handgun."

Well, there's a lot wrong with that sentence.

Did the "two men" fire the nine shots? One would have had to fire some, but not all, of the nine rounds and then hand the gun to the second man, who would have fired the remainder of the nine rounds.

Or did two men approach, and (only) one fired nine rounds?

But the part that got me was the adjective used to describe the handgun - an "automatic" handgun.

Have Joliet police already identified the gun that was fired? I suspect the reporter meant to write "semi-automatic" handgun, so why didn't an editor catch the error and correct it?

Most readers here know the difference between an automatic and a semi-automatic. If you don't, 'fess up and someone or I will explain it to you.

Did the reporter sensationalize the story by writing that the "... girl watched from the back seat ..."? Was the girl asleep? Whose driveway?

There is obviously a whole lot more to the story, yet the Northwest Herald gave it only 3 1/2 column inches.

Were the assailants known to the mother or recognized by the child?

Was there an order of protection, or was this a case of "wrong time, wrong place"?

Use of childrens' photo challenged

The following letter was written by Esther Hall Gordon, formerly of Woodstock and now residing in Battle Creek, Michigan.

"As one of the minor children who appear in the front row of the photograph of the Woodstock Children's Home Choir of 1963, as featured in the 02.17.10 edition of The Woodstock Independent and entitled, "Picture This," I'd be very interested to know who provided this picture for publication without permission from any of us shown in it.

"I'd also appreciate knowing how to access today's "Picture This" feature photo on your web site, or having a scanned copy sent to my email address, a hard copy of which, incidentally, I already own.

"Those of us pictured as members of the Woodstock Children's Home Choir don't appreciate having photographs of our very private experiences of exploitative fund-raising efforts by the Woodstock Children's Home plastered in the form of a photograph in your newspaper. This choir was used to "raise funds" for the home - just another example of how minor children were exploited by those entrusted to their care - in order to build the current financial enterprise known as Woodstock Christian Life Services empire.

"Those of us who spent any length of time as resident of the Woodstock Children's Home, also, soon became convenient minimum wage workers, who were made available to perform menial, as well as illegal, child labor on campus and in the community at large. A few of us were even allowed to care for the elderly in various capacities at the Sunset Manor, formerly located on the site of the current Hearthstone Village.

"Currently, Woodstock Christian Life Services is planning to expand its tax-exempt empire, while continuing to hide behind their "faith-based" facade. That ridiculous motto, "Caring for the Young and the Old" needs to either be discarded or slightly reworded to something more reality-based, e.g., "Our Young Cared for Our Old," to accurately portray how their ever-expanding human services empire was built on the backs of many of the children's home residents just a couple of decades ago.

"Since we have invested enough sweat equity into the current WCLS enterprise, and are watching as WCLS's current board of financiers, led by Mr. Terrence Egan, current CEO of Woodstock's oldest human services organization, demand demolition of Grace Hall, aka Harrison House to those of us who are proud enough to say we made our home in that beautiful old building, I appeal to the Woodstock Independent, as well as the community at large, to respect our privacy, and cease any further exploitative photo opportunities on behalf of former residents of the children's home.

"As a tribute to the hundreds of minor children who, through no fault of their own, found a refuge from "wayward parents" during their years in residence at the Woodstock's Children's Home, formerly the Todd School for Boys, perhaps your newspaper could invest its energies in garnering much-needed support from the local community in an effort to preserve Grace Hall, aka Harrison House as an historical landmark.

"Esther Hall Gordon (Woodstock Children's Home resident from 03.28.63 - 06.08.71)"

Cat fight in Huntley

Be sure to read Cal Skinner's McHenry County Blog about the cat fight yesterday morning in the Grafton Township offices. Newly-hired Grafton Township Administrator (and Huntley Village Trustee) Pam Fender tried to force her way into Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore's office. Her mission was critical: she wanted to use the copier and get some office supplies.

When two cats get in a fight, you don't want to try to separate them. I've found the best thing to do is get a garden hose, adjust the nozzle to the highest force for the spray, and point it straight at the cats. The only thing to watch out for is that they don't come after you.

Fender got repelled (without a hose) and so she called the Huntley Police. The police report shows "Battery" (battery and assault are different) at the top, and it states that "(Moore) stated she hit (Fender) because was (sic) scared of what (Fender) might do to her."

Just a few more words in the officers report would have made a case for Disorderly Conduct. All that was needed was for the officer to ask Moore if she felt 1) alarmed, 2) disturbed and 3) that her peace was breached. Bingo!

But one of the responding officers decided that there was no violation of criminal law, and nobody left in handcuffs.

Grafton Township had better put in a closed-circuit TV system, because the cops will be back there often.

Cal did a great job with his article and getting the police report so fast. Gee, how does that happen? Getting a police report the same day? Not having to wait for a FOIA request to be processed? And no redactions?

Be sure to read all about it at http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/

And also read Pete Gonigam's article in the First Electric Newspaper www.firstelectricnewspaper.com, which carries some additional information and quotes. You might stop by the Grafton Township offices (where are they?) and wait for early fireworks. You won't have to wait until July 4.

Billy Vahldieck Memorial Scholarship

Billy Vahldieck was a former member of the McHenry County Junior Golf Association who passed away in 2009. Billy enjoyed the competitive golf tournament experience and the friendships he made during his time playing in MCJGA events. His family and friends were kind enough to make donations to the MCJGA to help create a scholarship fund in his memory.

Two $1,000 scholarships will be given to MCJGA members who have entered their senior year of high school in the fall of 2009 and have been accepted to a four year college or university for the fall of 2010.

Information about these scholarships and the application procedure can be viewed at www.mcjga.net/Scholarships.aspx

Job Fair hits a bulls-eye

Today's Job Fair at the Church of the Holy Apostles in McHenry was a success, if measured by the number of "tables" and the number of job hunters. It was organized by John O'Neill, Republican candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives - 63rd District, but John said this morning that getting a job doesn't belong to one party or another.

Pictured at the top right are John O'Neill, with his wife, Barbara, and their youngest child, Jeremiah.

Upon first arriving, I was greeted by Joyce (sorry I didn't get her last name). She pointed out John to me, who was back at the AFLAC table. There I met Angela Schiek, District Sales Coordinator for AFLAC. Interested in exploring affilation with AFLAC? Call her at 312.661.1222 x5711. Oh, yes; the AFLAC duck was there, too.

Then I headed over to the Tupperware table and met Bridget Fagan. Bridget is a recent gradulate of NIU and loves being a Tupperware rep. I had to love her mother's business card, which says about Tupperware, "We've been GREEN for 60 YEARS!" For information on the business opportunity with Tupperware or to purchase Tupperware products, call Bridget at 847.540.5959

And then off to the Tastefully Simple booth, where Mary Lebrecht told me about their food selection. Sounds like even I could cook with help from Tastefully Simple. Mary didn't have cooked samples today, but my mouth began to water just from looking at their brochure! For food or information about the business opportunity, call Mary at 815.451.7730

I'm often asked what it takes to be successful in a home-based business, such as Tupperware or Tastefully Simple. It takes belief in your product, a desire to help others, discipline and persistence.

There were many other business opportunities represented at this Job Fair. As so many know, there aren't many "jobs" available. If truth be told, most people don't really want a j-o-b; they want a check. The business opportunity, such as with Tupperware or Tastefully Simple, is worth exploring. Don't be put off by the self-employed nature of it or the fact that it might be called (or thought of as) multi-level marketing (MLM).

I recommend reading Robert Kiyosaki's book, The Business School for People Who Like Helping People. He has written excellent information about MLM. I met Robert in Denver in about 1984 and treasure a personal note he sent me after we met. Robert is known for the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. And, while you are at it, read Zig Ziglar's See You at the Top. I met Zig at a National Speakers' Association banquet in Washington, DC in about 1994.

USA - leading jailer in the world

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MCC’S STUDENT PEACE GROUP TO HOST EVENT ON PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

[Feb. 23, 2010 Crystal Lake, IL] The McHenry County College Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) will host an informational seminar featuring Dr. Vincent Gaddis on March 4th, 2010 at 7:00pm in the College's Conference Center. The event is titled "The United States: Leading Jailer of the World."

According to Human Rights Watch, the United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world, including the far more populous nation of China. In 2008, the American penal system held more than 2.3 million adults, China was second with 1.5 million and Russia a distant third. The United States leads not only by the sheer number of inmates but in the rate at which it incarcerates its citizenry, outpacing nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia. In Germany, 93 people are in prison for every 100,000 adults and children whereas in the United States, the rate is eight times higher or 750 per 100,000.

As incredible as it sounds, 1 in 100 adults are now locked up in America and for Hispanic and black men, imprisonment is far more prevalent. Dr. Gaddis will analyze the structural flaws within our system that lead to these astounding statistics. Imprisonment has become the answer to many of the social problems rooted in poverty. The practice of locking up the poor from racially marginalized communities has become big business. What once was considered government work has increasingly been turned over to private contractors, creating a monstrous "prison industrial complex" whose profit depends on people to punish. Dr Gaddis calls for a revolution - "a revolution in values." He persuasively argues that what we need is not new prisons, but a powerful movement for social transformation in health care, housing, education, drug programs, jobs, and education.

The event is part of SPAN’s Current American Issues Information Seminar Series. SPAN is made up of students promoting peace nationally and locally through action and education. The event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi and the McHenry County Peace Coalition. The event is free and open to the public.

The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. For more information, contact the MCC Student Activities Office at (815) 455-8772.

For information, contact:

Molly McQueen
Action Coordinator for SPAN
McHenry County College
(815) 354-3161
email: molly_mcq@hotmail.com

36 arrests - at what cost?

The First Electric Newspaper (www.firstelectricnewspaper.com) published an article early this morning about the arrests of 36 people in McHenry and Lake Counties, presumably last week.

The agencies involved?

Illinois State Police
McHenry Police Department
Cary Police Department
Crystal Lake Police Department
Huntley Police Department
Island Lake Police Department
Woodstock Police Department
Harvard Police Department
Lake County Sheriff’s Office
McHenry County Sheriff's Department
United States Marshal Service

According to FEN, "The bulk of the warrants were for misdemeanors or contempt with a handful of burglary and drug felonies."

Frankly, I wonder how many officers/deputies were involved, how many vehicles, and what the exact charges were on the arrest warrants. There was a lot of "horsepower" involved for only 36 arrests.