Update: NRA’s Challenge to Semi-Auto Ban Referendum in Illinois a Success

[shadowrider]

Fairfax, Va. – The Electoral Board in Cook County, Illinois has agreed to dismiss a bogus petition to create a referendum on the November ballot asking if the sale of semi-automatic firearms should be banned in Illinois.

The National Rifle Association backed a protest filed in response to the referendum petition. The petition asked, “Shall the Governor and the members of the Illinois General Assembly enact legislation to ban the sale of semi-automatic and assault weapons that are used by criminals to threaten the lives of law enforcement and the people of Illinois?” NRA member Selvin Morgan, a resident of Cook County, filed the objection to this petition and the NRA supported him in this effort.

The names, addresses and signatures of more than 83,000 Cook County residents were needed for the question raised by the petition to make it on to the ballot. The petitioner submitted information for only a fraction of that requirement, but tried to proceed anyway. Many of the entries even lacked valid names, addresses and signatures.

This petition and Mr. Morgan’s protest to the petition were the subject of a hearing before the Cook County Electoral Board on August 17th. At that time, the NRA assisted Mr. Morgan in asking that this referendum be stricken from the ballot. On August 20th, the board agreed with Mr. Morgan and the NRA, saying that the petitioner had a “failure to have a sufficient number of valid signatures.”

Mr. Morgan’s objection was sustained so the referendum will not appear on the November ballot.

-NRA-

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/InTheNews.aspx?ID=14163

Mayor Daley, shot down again.

[spin]

1. Mayor Daley in action again ...

and once again he manages to shoot himself in the foot.

[shadowrider]

3. How many damn feet does that guy have? He's shot himself in a bunch so far n/t

[spin]

4. I hear he wears bullet proof boots. (n/t)

[virginia mountainman]

2. They will learn....slowly but certainly, they will learn... N/T

[one-eyed fat man]

12. History repeats..................

Brown v Board of Education was handed down in 1959. Another obstinate obstructionist stands in the schoolhouse door in 1963 in Alabama. Tin-horn despots cut from the same cloth. "..........segregation ban guns now, segregation ban guns tomorrow, segregation ban guns forever!"

[DonP]

5. A Daley/Quinn stunt

They have been desperately trying to generate some Astro Turf credibility since they got their ass kicked in MacDonald.

Sadly, Quinn is turning out to be nothing more than another Daley Meat Puppet on this issue. Supported by Brady and Bloomberg, Quinn's decided to say fuck you to the 1.6 million Illinois gun owners and their extended family's votes I guess and settle for a Daley promise of support in November.

When Blago got ousted Quinn had a chance to stand up for something, but opted for easy contributions and political expediency from the same people that put Blago in place.

With this phony baloney "petition" on the ballot, with its "when did you stop beating your wife" styled phasing, they would have claimed that it was a "Clear mandate from the citizens" to ban the sale of all semi automatic guns in the state. This is not the first petition Daley has scammed. It's just the first time someone with some "muscle" has actually stood up to his crooked ways.

I expect Daley to follow in his famous fathers footsteps now, after the '68 Democrat convention, when he ordered cops to "shoot to kill" and bust some heads he blamed "outside agitators" instead of the cops for doing what he ordered them to do. The old man didn't count on film crews catching it all on tape and Walter Cronkite personally witnessing the cops beating kids up.

In the next day or two we'll hear from Mayor Shortshanks; "It's all the fault of the EBIL NRA people!"

I'm sure we have some people that show up here from time to time that will be happy to echo his sentiments.

[virginia mountainman]

6. I wonder if Daley will send Bulldozers to NRA Headquarters in the dead of night??

Amazed that he has not sent them to Mr McDonald's house yet.

[DonP]

7. Nah, he's a bully and bullies never pick on anyone that might push back

I still can't believe he got away with ruining Meigg's field and leaving a row of planes on the taxi strip. Now it's just Northerly Island and since there isn't any money to develop it into a real park it kind of just sits there.

But at least he and his wife aren't annoyed by all that aircraft noise as they pass near his new home in Dearborn Park. Oh, and according to Daley, it reduced the risk of terrorists flying a plane into the Sears Tower.

Daley always wants to make sure his opponents can't push back. That's why he picks on the weak and politically unconnected.

He handpicks people that he can control so he's never threatened then holds out jobs and contracts to make sure they know their place. Guiterriz, Quigley, Schakowsky and a whole lot more Reps and now Quinn are in his hip pocket.

But ... unlike the FAA, the NRA will actually push back and slap him around some more like they did in SCOTUS.

[Katya Mullethov]

9. There was a bit of talk about Jared Diamond here recently

And his big thing right now is all the bad consequences that come about when leaders and decision makers are insulated from the effects of their dictats . So, did they take the fines and incurred costs of ripping up that runway out of his travel allowance , or did he just write a check ?

[DonP]

11. In a sudden coincidence - property taxes went up the next year

Daley never pays for his own mistakes. That's the job of the citizens and the Fire and Police Unions who do without the street cops they need (down 1000 cops now) and up to date safety equipment for the fire department.

But Daley had no trouble finding $40 million + for a "hired truck" program that was run by friends of his. Another incredible coincidence. Please not the Hired Truck program fired union drivers that worked for the city and replaced them with non-union drivers. I'm amazed the Teamsters Local 305 didn't back over his limo one morning, with him in it.

The fines and court costs for the Meigg's debacle came out of the general revenue fund and got buried in the City Corporate Counsel's annual budget.

He is burying the costs of the MacDonald suit in the city budget so no one can point to the costs of fighting repeated losing court battles as testaments to his massive ego.

[benEzra]

8. That photo is tragic...sigh...

As a kid, I first became interested in the city of Chicago because of that beautiful airport...flying back and forth between Meigs Field, Midway, and O'Hare in Microsoft Flight Simulator, and then I found out it was real. When I finally visited Chicago for the first time, Meigs Field was the landmark I looked for from the air, followed by the Sears Tower. That would have been less than a year before it was destroyed, if I judge the time correctly.

Oh well...

And for those who don't know the story of that pic...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meigs_Field

In 2001, a compromise was reached between Chicago, the State of Illinois, and others to keep the airport open for the next twenty-five years. However, the federal legislation component of the deal did not pass the United States Senate. In a controversial move on March 31, 2003, Mayor Daley ordered private crews to destroy the runway in the middle of the night, bulldozing large X-shaped gouges into the runway surface.<7> The required notice was not given to the Federal Aviation Administration or the owners of airplanes tied down at the field, and as a result sixteen planes were left stranded at an airport with no operating runway, and an incoming flight was diverted. The stranded aircraft were later allowed to depart from Meigs' 3,000-foot (910 m) taxiway.<8>

Mayor Daley defended his actions, described as "appalling" by general aviation interest groups, by claiming it would save the City of Chicago the effort of further court battles before the airport could close.

Hmmm, I wonder how the "Your Honor, I burned down my neighbors house while he was on vacation so I wouldn't have to sue him" defense would go over for the average citizen of Illinois. I think this move is a shining example of what Mayor Daley thinks of the rule of law...laws are for the "little people."

[PavePusher]

10. "Many of the entries even lacked valid names, addresses and signatures."

Must have been using the Chicago voters registration rolls again....

[spin]

14. Some were probably dead. (n/t)

[Callisto32]

13. Congratulations to all my Second Amendment brothers and sisters out there in the windy city.