I-Pass advice

An announcement email from the Illinois Tollway informed me that each year I-Pass customers are issued over 700,000 violations. Hard to believe; right?

How can you avoid a violation?

Check your account online at http://www.illinoistollway.com/

Be sure your license plate is correctly entered.
Be sure all your vehicles are registered.
Keep enough money in your account. You can add less than $40, if you manually replenish your account (rather than waiting for the Tollway to zing your credit card for $40.)
Update your credit card information.
Keep your name and address current.

Remembering another July 4th

A couple of years ago I wrote about celebrating Independence Day in 1989 by leaving New Mexico and heading to Phoenix. If you've been in Phoenix on July 4, you know what "h-o-t" is!

There is another July 4th that is a favorite of mine. I had left Santa Rosa, Calif., where I had attended the 6-Day Course (of the est Training program). Has anyone else around here done the est Training or the 6-Day Course?

After dropping off another participant of the Course in San Francisco and then visiting friends in Sacramento. I headed east on U.S. 50. Somewhere in Nevada, some guys in a pick-up passed me, and a hat blew off the head of one man who was riding in the bed of the truck. I saw him reach toward his head to try to save his cap, but he was too late. The truck didn't stop, but I did. There was no other traffic on the road, and I retrieved his cap.

Pulling up behind them, I motioned them to move over so I could pull up on the right and hand his hat back.. Ever drive in Nevada? We were the only vehicles for 50 miles (so it looked). The guy must have thought his hat was gone, for sure, and I remember his wave of thanks, as he put the hat back on.

The early 1980s were some of the best years of my life!

Why I hate Walgreen's

First, let me say that I really like the people at Walgreen's in Woodstock. They are helpful, friendly - and they even remind me of coupons that I may not have found myself, when I'm at the register with my purchases.

And they have on-sale items in stock. That's always nice.

And they have coupons for things I actually use. That's nice, too.

And parking is good. And they have two Redboxes.

But why do I really hate Walgreen's? They have those 99¢ bags of gum drops! And sometimes they are even on sale for 49¢!

And, when I skip the aisle they are in, the bags call out to me and "make" me buy them! One day "they" even made my car turn into the Walgreen's parking lot, when I was planning not to stop!

What is known about Crime Stoppers for McHenry County?

How does Crime Stoppers work? How does Crime Stoppers for McHenry County work?

A brochure from "Crime Stoppers for McHenry County" (CSMC) explains it all. Or does it? It explains that Crime Stoppers is a "new way" for the public to provide tips to police. It's not really so new. Crime Stoppers' organizations began in the 1970s, so that's at least 40 years. What's "new" about it?

It pays "up to $1,000" in rewards. CSMC, one of several Crime Stoppers groups in McHenry County, paid out $3,400 in 2009 for 12 tips. That's an average of less than $300 per tip. CSMC received over $50,000 from the McHenry County Circuit Court in a recent three-year period. Where did all the money go?

So far, I have been unsuccessful in obtaining annual reports for 2010, 2008 and any other information from CSMC. You'd think I was asking for the combination to the vault at Fort Knox!

When you call Crime Stoppers with a tip, you are supposed to be given a code number, since your tip is anonymous (you don't give your name). You are supposed to be instructed to call back periodically to learn whether your tip was used and if you are eligible for a reward.

When I called in a lead last year, I don't recall being given a code number. Perhaps I was. What I do know is that I was not told to call back periodically. And I was really concerned about an early question from the Tip Line operator, asking me if I wanted a reward.

Why should a caller be asked such a question? The Tip Line is a tip line that advertises a reward. I would think that question might turn others off, as it did me; I almost hung up right then!

CMSC has a Board of Directors and officers. Or so it seems. It appears to me that the only way to learn who some of them are is to pay $10 to the Illinois Secretary of State and purchase a copy of the last Annual Report that was filed. The liaison at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department refuses to identify anyone connected with CSMC; a FOIA request was denied. A letter from Helen Torscher identified her as Secretary last October. A reader referred me to the website of Crime Stoppers International, where Ms. Torscher was identified as President, and Richard Heizer was listed as Treasurer.

Ms. Torscher has failed to respond to other letters or email, and Mr. Heizer has not yet returned a telephone call placed to him on March 4. (I know, I know; some volunteers are really busy.)

The very basic (and only) brochure provided to me on Friday in response to my request for printed information about CSMC reads that the board of directors is made up of concerned citizens." It seems to me that the make-up is of citizens concerned with keeping information from the public view. Since it collected over $50,000 in three years, courtesy of fines imposed by the McHenry County Circuit Court, CSMC should reveal its finances at least so far as public money is concerned.

The brochure also reads that "Donations from private citizens and local businesses support Crime Stoppers." Have you ever been solicited to donate to Crime Stoppers for McHenry County? Or, for that matter, by any Crime Stoppers organization in McHenry County (there are several)? Was it by letter? By phone? Do you still have a copy of any letter soliciting a donation? I'd like to know of it and see it, if you have it.

How you ask, matters

How do you find out what people think about the right to carry a concealed weapon? How you ask the question may often determine the response and the answer you get.

At last week's town hall meeting in Carpentersville, Illinois State Representative Keith Farnham said the response from his constituents in the 43rd District was overwhelmingly against concealed carry.

Let's say you went to the Woodstock Square or Crystal Lake's downtown area or McHenry's Fiesta or any of the Fourth of July parades and began asking people what they think about concealed carry. What would you ask? (Or would you "say" what you think, instead of asking?)

If you were wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "I DON'T DIAL 9-1-1-" and an image of a handgun on it, what would people think? When I saw that t-shirt at Rep. Farnham's town hall meeting, all I could think of was a .45 cal. bullet going through 2-3 people and zinging down the street through windows and thin walls. And I'm a gun owner and right-to-carry proponent!

How might a question be phrased?

- Do you believe law-abiding, trained, qualified men and women should have the right to carry a concealed weapon for the purpose of protecting themselves outside their home, a right that they have in all states other than Illinois?

Or what if you were asked these questions?

- Should gun nuts have the right to strap on high-powered handguns and strut around town like Butch Cassidy? (No offense, Butch)

- Kids are being killed in Chicago every day; should more people carry guns?

- Should people be allowed to carry loaded, heavy-duty guns out of sight, under their coats?

- Aren't you safe in "gun-free zones" (GFZs) like schools, churches, government offices? Why do people need guns?

- Wouldn't you be worried if the man next to you had a gun?

I recommend two books. The easy one, the fast-read, is From Luby's to the Legislature, by Suzanna Gratia Hupp, a Texas chiropractor whose parents and 20 other restaurant customers were killed in 1991 in a family-style restaurant. She had left her gun in her vehicle, because then-Texas law said you couldn't take it into a restaurant.

The other, harder to read and harder to digest, is Prof. John Lott's book, More Guns, Less Crime. If you like facts and figures, you'll like this one. Read his statements by police officials who at first didn't want concealed carry, but who found that the problems they expected never materialized.

How do legislators learn constituent opinions?

At Wednesday night's town hall meeting in Carpentersville, the heat was on Rep. Keith Farnham from the first question. In fact, I thought the man who stated his opinion on concealed carry might rise out of his seat and confront Rep. Farnham nose-to-nose. I felt he might have to be restrained before the meeting ended.

I admired Rep. Farnham for standing his ground and listening in an open manner to the question and to the man who was asking it. That man, who I think did not live in the 43rd District, addressed Rep. Farnham in an antagonistic, brash, aggressive and almost-threatening manner - totally out of place for the first question of the evening, before Rep. Farnham explained his position on concealed carry.

Rep. Farnham said that he had learned the opinions of his constituents by walking his district several times. One woman announced, "Well, you never came to my house!" Was she even home, when he walked her block?

One member of the audience respectfully suggested that Rep. Farnham might have a survey printed and mailed to every house in his district. We've certainly seen those surveys (occasionally) from Rep. Jack Franks' office, although not recently.

The advantage of a printed survey are several:
1. The survey can be sent to every household in the District;
2. Everyone gets asked the same question, in the same way;
3. Most bias in a question can be removed (or will be clearly evident);
4. Prepaid-postage return often assures a higher return rate;
5. Tear-off address portion may increase return rate, if respondent wants to remain anonymous;
6. Short response time may increase response rate, as it can reduce the survey's getting "lost" before being returned.

Electronic surveys are good, too, although they might draw responses from a small audience in some districts. And you have to get the word out, so that those with internet connection can respond.

Jack Franks' only website now is at http://www.franks4illinois.com/, and this is the one that is paid for by his political campaign, not by his State office budget. Would it be nice for his legislative office to maintain a official web presence with information about his official position on bills, laws and issues? If you would like to be on Jack's e-mail distribution list for Jack's political activities in the 63rd District, you can sign up for his e-mails on that website.

Jack cast a "Yes" vote on HB 0148, the concealed-carry bill in the most recent legislative session. Sixty-third District gun owners and concealed-carry (right-to-carry) advocates should continue to stay in touch with Jack to thank him for his support and to solicit his continued support of this legislation.

Illinois is now the only state to forbid its law-abiding, trained, qualified citizens the right to carry. Gov. Walker is expected to sign Wisconsin's law shortly after July 4th.

Surf's up at Walmart

It take only a moment for an impulsive act to lead to severe consequences. I had not heard the term "car surfing" before reading a newspaper article about this incident at the Crystal Lake Walmart. How do we ever get kids, young adults and, yes, adults to think about what they are about to do. "Is this a good decision?" How do we get people to ask that question? (Original article edited at 1:40PM)

The Crystal Lake Police Department issued the following press release.

    On June 30^th, 2011 at 11:30 pm, Police responded to the Wal-Mart parking lot located at 1205 S. Rt. 31 for a subject who had reportedly fallen and struck his head. Upon arrival police discovered that a twenty year old male, Austin Watts of 1969 Governor’s Lane, Hoffman Estates, IL had fallen from the roof area of a moving vehicle and struck his head on the pavement in the parking lot.   

    Further investigation revealed the Watts had been riding on the rooftops of two vehicles before he fell from a vehicle driven by Stephen D. Gallagher (19), of that a 2002 Chevrolet Impala, operated by Stephen D. Gallagher of Schaumburg, a 2000 Dodge Neon, operated by Eva M. Carlock (18) of 1365 Gardina Lane, Crystal Lake and a 2002 Dodge Caravan, operated by a (17) year old juvenile female of Crystal Lake, were simultaneously operating their vehicles in a reckless manner while in the parking lot.

1806 Hemlock Place, Schaumburg, IL

. Traffic Crash Investigators were called to the scene and determined

    Austin C. Watts (20) of Hoffman Estates was riding on the exterior trunk and roof areas of the Dodge Neon, and then the Chevy Impala.  During the reckless maneuvers being conducted by the drivers, he fell off of the roof of the Chevy Impala, impacted the pavement and sustained trauma to the head.  Austin Watts was transported by ambulance to Centegra’s Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry where he was listed in critical condition. No other injuries were reported by any of the other parties present at the scene.

    Eva M. Carlock was charged with misdemeanor Reckless Driving, Reckless Conduct and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; she posted bond and was released with a court date of 07/19/11. The seventeen year old, juvenile female was petitioned into juvenile court on the charges of Reckless Driving and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and subsequently released to her parents. Stephen D. Gallagher was charged with misdemeanor Reckless Driving and Felony (Class 4) Reckless Conduct involving great bodily harm.  He was later transported to the McHenry County Jail to await a bond hearing.

    This incident remains under investigation by Accident Investigators of the Crystal Lake Police Department’s Targeted Response Unit.