Free Republic

t least 42 people were shot, seven fatally, in Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend even as severe storms kept people indoors and 1,200 extra officers patrolled the streets. The toll was slightly higher than last year’s Memorial Day weekend, when 39 people were shot, seven of them fatally, according to shooting data kept by the Tribune. In 2017, 45 people were shot, seven of them killed. And in 2016, 71 people shot, six of them fatally, in one of the most violent Memorial Day weekends in recent years. “That is just an unacceptable state of affairs,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot...

Politics Home » First100Days Chicago Man Arrested for Allegedly Targeting Obama With HIV-Infected Blood It's only the second time ever that HIV-infected blood has been sent with malicious intent through the U.S. mail system, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said. By Mike Levine FOXNews.com Friday, February 27, 2009 0 x in order to recommend a story, you must login or register. 6 Comments | Add Comment ShareThisA man from President Obama's hometown of Chicago has been arrested for allegedly sending Obama and his staff envelopes containing HIV-infected blood, in the hopes of killing or harming them. It's...

City still owed $1.7M for Obama rally February 20, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The cost of President Barack Obama's Election Day celebration in Grant Park totaled more than $1.7 million, and the city has yet to be paid. The Office of Budget and Management says the city is reaching out to the Democratic National Committee to get the money. A DNC spokesperson said the party is still looking at various costs and bills. In October, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said the cash-flush Obama campaign would reimburse the city for the total cost of the rally.

From NBC Chicago, Jan 21, 2009:Bill Ayers was "overflowing with happiness, relief, love" when he and his wife went to Grant Park with tens of thousands of Chicagoans to celebrate the election of President Barack Obama. Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, spoke exclusively with NBC Chicago's Dick Johnson about why they joined the Election Night celebration in the park, where 40 years before they helped stage the Days of Rage riots. The couple said they got last-minute tickets from a friend to be in Grant Park that night. "I couldn't stop crying a couple of times. I found the...

Bill Ayers was "overflowing with happiness, relief, love" when he and his wife went to Grant Park with tens of thousands of Chicagoans to celebrate the election of President Barack Obama. Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, spoke exclusively with NBC Chicago's Dick Johnson about why they joined the Election Night celebration in the park, where 40 years before they helped stage the Days of Rage riots. The couple said they got last-minute tickets from a friend to be in Grant Park that night. "I couldn't stop crying a couple of times. I found the exact spot where I was...

~Rover's Top 10 proofs that liberals are brainwashed/mentally ill/completely insane~For those of you who have ever wondered how Democrats came to be known as the Jack@$$ Party... #10: Many Obama supporters have praised Michelle Obama's "great" taste in clothes (According to Barack Obama, she does NOT hire a fashion consultant). Vanity Fair even ranks her on its "international best-dressed" list. Fans liken her to Jackie Kennedy. Are they crazy?! Many people, including me, do NOT find a black widow suitable to be First Lady. But then, I suppose that's racist.

Full Comment brings you a daily collection of international punditry on the issues of the moment. Today: It was the dress seen round the world -- Tuesday night in Chicago, Michelle Obama appeared on stage with her husband, wearing a black and red sheath by American designer Narciso Rodriguez. To an untrained observer, it looked as if someone out trick or treating had thrown a can of red paint at her. Her choice of frock has polarized the country and beyond. USA Today published a snap poll in which the spread looked like the Barack Obama/John McCain numbers for a...

At least five people were arrested across the city after Barack Obama's rally in Grant Park, including a woman who slapped a Chicago police officer, saying police couldn't arrest her anymore, prosecutors said today. Most of the others celebrated the historic occasion with gunfire. Celita Hart, 19, stood silently in court today when she appeared for a bond hearing. Prosecutors said Hart, who is black, yelled " 'White [expletive], [expletive] McCain--you white police can't do nothing anymore.'" With that, she reached through the window of a squad car and slapped a white male officer in the face, according to Assistant...

CHICAGO -- In his first interview since he became an issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, Bill Ayers, the former Weather Underground leader, said today that he had a distant relationship with Barack Obama and that Obama's opponents had turned him into "a cartoon character." Ayers, now an education professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said he thought the accusation by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that Obama had been "palling around with terrorists" was absurd. "Pal around together? What does that mean? Share a milkshake with two straws?"Ayers said. "I think my relationship with Obama was probably like thousands of...

[something from the 'believe it or not' file...] Tuesday night, Barack Obama holds what he hopes will be his victory celebration in his adopted hometown’s Grant Park. The Associated Press explains: “Grant Park is the place Chicagoans have long gathered to party, protest, and pray,” noting visits by Franklin Roosevelt, the Queen of England, and Pope John Paul II. If the park is a natural place for a party celebrating Chicago’s favorite son, it’s also an unwelcome reminder of two of the Windy City’s black sheep, who nearly derailed his presidential ambitions. Should Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, by now...

Tuesday night, Barack Obama holds what he hopes will be his victory celebration in his adopted hometown’s Grant Park. The Associated Press explains: “Grant Park is the place Chicagoans have long gathered to party, protest, and pray,” noting visits by Franklin Roosevelt, the Queen of England, and Pope John Paul II. If the park is a natural place for a party celebrating Chicago’s favorite son, it’s also an unwelcome reminder of two of the Windy City’s black sheep, who nearly derailed his presidential ambitions. Should Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, by now the most infamous Chicago Friends of Obama, attend...

Thought you all might want to bookmark a webcam for tonight's "Obamapalooza" festivities in Chicago's Grant Park. http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1258368,grant-park-camera-obama-rally-110408.article It's a nice, sunny, warm day in the Windy City.

"I hope to God I'm wrong, but there are 7,000 known gang members in Chicago and they aren't going to miss an opportunity like this," says Paul Huebl, a former police officer in the city and now a respected author and crime blogger. "Police officers will be gravely outnumbered and outgunned and placed in danger. "There is no way to protect businesses. Parents and kids are going to think they're going to a party and they're going to end up getting hurt." More than a million people are said to be planning to celebrate the expected election of the first...

Heard on the radio this morning, from the Chicago Police Department spokesman, that *2* forms of identification will be required to enter Barack Obama's election night soiree' - known in these parts as "Obamapalooza". Spokesman said bring your photo ID and a postmarked letter which has been mailed to you with your address - and it had better match your photo ID. You don't even need 2 forms of ID to vote in the election!

Adding the finishing touches to Grant ParkJames Janega | Tribune reporter November 2, 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama returns home Tuesday for an Election Night rally in Grant Park that has sparked huge civic interest and many questions about how the event will work. **SNIP** Q. How many people will show up? A. Daley estimated 1 million, a number he said was a guess. The campaign's permit said there would be 65,000 ticketed guests and 7,500 "participants" at the official fenced area. But interest is high and the weather is expected to be excellent, so expect quite a throng...

Notable Names Left Off Invite List Include Rev. Wright, CHICAGO (CBS) ― Oprah will be there, so will Mayor Richard M. Daley and movie star Samuel L. Jackson. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is also invited. They're a few of the VIPs who will be on hand to hear Barack Obama speak in Grant Park on election night. CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports next Tuesday's event will in some ways be similar, in other ways different, from many of the big rallies Obama held en route to winning the Democratic nomination. For one thing, there are no live musical performances...

Chicago authorities are bracing for as many as a million people in downtown Grant Park Tuesday night to cheer on Sen. Barack Obama as election returns come in, a potential celebration and security headache. Police in Chicago and elsewhere around the country say intense interest in the election and the possibility of large crowds in major cities are leading them to take crowd-control precautions usually seen during Super Bowls and World Series. In addition, local police will be providing security at polling stations to keep things running smoothly on Election Day. Security preparations in Obama's hometown include orders for off-duty...

Sneed hears a plan is afoot to impeach Gov. Blagojevich following the presidential election next month. Word is the votes are there. Stay tuned. Ring ring . . . A confident man: David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist/guru, has a special ring tone on his cell phone assigned to Barack Obama: "Signed, sealed, delivered." The Obama rally . . . Mayor Daley's big worry: that Obama's election night rally in Grant Park could turn into a security nightmare. • • Consider: The Obama camp is expecting 70,000 people. • • The shocker: How about 1 million-plus trying to get in to...

Barack Obama has reserved part of Chicago’s Grant Park for Election Night festivities on November 4. According to the Chicago Tribune: "The large public space between the Loop and lakeshore also hosted a papal visit in 1979 and a Chicago Bulls NBA championship celebration in 1991."

Here is a local news report on presumptuous plans by Barack Obama to have a gigantic outdoor election night victory party in Chicago's Grant Park. It's clear he thinks he's won the election -- three weeks before the voting has ended. . . . (Watch Video)