Rep. Dennis Hastert Hosted 'Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace' panel in August

Republican Congressman J. Dennis Hastert of the14th District of Illinois on this website issued the following press release, dated Tuesday, August 29, 2006.

Hastert Drives Effort To 'Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace' Congressman leads community meeting addressing Internet safety

ST. CHARLES – Congressman J. Dennis Hastert brought national experts together with community leaders and parents on Tuesday for a 14th District Community Meeting to share information and insights on protecting children from Online predators.

Held at St. Charles North High School, “Keeping Kids Safe in Cyberspace,” included representatives of local police agencies and a panel of national Internet and law enforcement experts highlighting efforts to make the Internet safer for children. A private question-and-answer session followed, where parents addressed specific concerns and situations with police and web providers.

“Recent news stories remind us that there are predators using the Internet to target children,” Hastert said. “And just as we warn our children about ‘stranger danger’ when they are at the park or answering the door or telephone, we need to be aware of potential dangers in Cyberspace.”

Go read the rest of the press release in which Republican Speaker of the House J .Dennis Hastert highlighted Congressional efforts underway to protect children on the Internet, including recent House passage of the “Deleting Online Predators” Act.

The J. Dennis Hastert 'Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace' press release was also issues on the following websites Sugar Grove Public Library and School District 129.

J. Dennis Hastert 'Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace' panelists included representatives of MySpace.com, Comcast, Microsoft, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Naperville Police Department Internet Crimes Unit. J. Dennis Hastert collaborated with the following schools: City of St. Charles School District; Communities in Schools of Aurora; DeKalb County Regional Office of Education; East Aurora School District #131; Kane County Regional Office of Education; Kendall County Regional Office of Education; Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education; U-46 School District and West Aurora School District #129.

J. Dennis Hastert must be held accountable to the people, parents in this Congressional District especially to the people who took part in the 'Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace' panel. How can Republican leader Hastert participate in the panel while a member of his party, Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), had improper contacts with pages over a year time online?

Being in a position of power comes with immense responsibility. J. Dennis Hastert must step aside and let a bipartisan investigation into Mark Foley and anyone who was involved. If J. Dennis Hastert covered up and allow Mark Foley to continue to be a Congressman knowing of this improper contacts, or criminal actions he must resign this office.

Mr. Hastert what do you know and when did you know it?

IL-Gov: Blagojevich Leads Topinka by Eight

Political Wire

A new Research 2000 poll shows Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) holding an 8-point edge over challenger Judy Baar Topinka (R), 47% to 39%. However, the pollster, who noted that it was “still [Blagojevich’s] race to lose,” stated that the incumbent was “not…safe by any stretch.”

How Low Can the GOP Go?

It’s getting uglier.

Condi uses Civil War to slap Iraq critics

Secretary of State Rice compared the Iraq war with the American Civil War, telling a magazine that slavery might have lasted longer in this country if the North had decided to end the fight early.

"I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold," Rice said in the new issue of Essence magazine.

"I know there were people who said, 'Why don't we get out of this now, take a peace with the South, but leave the South with slaves?'" Rice said.

Talk show host John Ziegler:

the best way I can describe the Democratic agenda for retaking the House right now is–root for American soldiers to die in Iraq. Root for the economy to tank and gas prices to soar and also root for Hurricanes to hit as late in October and as close to November as possible…

Chicago Sun-Times columnist John O'Sullivan:

Patriotism of Sept. 11 faded quickly

Within a very short time, however, this moment of moral clarity passed. We heard more and more from the "counter-tribalists" -- those Americans who consider themselves more sophisticated and intellectually detached than simple-minded patriots but who take the side against America as reflexively as a hard hat worker or suburban soccer mom salutes the flag. They are an anthropological curiosity -- moved by the same instinctive tribal loyalties as a primitive people with the exception that they are loyal to other tribes. And not just any other tribe but the one that happens to be opposed to the United States.

Counter-tribalism explains many oddities such as those feminists who can't bring themselves to welcome the ousting of the women-hating Taliban in Afghanistan because it was accomplished by George W. Bush. It is the ideology of a large lumpen intelligentsia in schools, the courts, universities, the "netroots" Democratic Party, the establishment media, Hollywood, etc., etc. Its slogan runs: "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." And Barbara Kingsolver expressed it perfectly when she wrote: "In other words, the American flag stands for intimidation, censorship, violence, bigotry, sexism, homophobia and shoving the Constitution through a paper-shredder."

In a free country like the United States, Kingsolver is entitled to say such things. Shouldn't the rest of us be free to say that this is vicious and unpatriotic drivel and that counter-tribalism is not dissent but hatred of America? And don't we owe the dead that honesty at least?

Republican Party is desperate.

What’s next compare Liberals and the Democratic party to Nazis and Nazis Nazi Appeaser?

The lack of reality by John Ziegler, John O'Sullivan, and Secretary of State Rice is indefensible. Baseless attacks will continue to be Conservative standard operating procedure; it’s all they have left.

IL-Gov: 3 Steps for a Topinka (R) Win

In order for Republican candidate for Illinois Governor Judy Baar Topinka to defeat Democratic incumbent Rod Blagojevich the following three steps must happen.

Denting Dems' Cook County edge crucial to Topinka's hopes

One: Given the real possibility of a larger-than-usual Cook County vote (due to the County Board president race), Topinka must find a way to cut the governor's winning percentage in this Democratic stronghold. In 2002 Blagojevich garnered 67 percent of the Cook County vote -- a similar performance by him in 2006 could by itself doom Topinka's statewide hopes.

Two: The five collars must go overwhelmingly for Topinka and up Jim Ryan's 2002 winning percentage (58 percent) by at least 5 percentage points. Key here is whether "social conservative" Republicans will support their party's nominee or reject her because of her moderate views on abortion and gay rights.

Three: Traditional GOP north and north-central Downstate counties must have big turnouts and a huge Topinka vote. The recent Downstate bus caravan was perhaps Topinka's shrewdest political move so far in the campaign.

Simple. Republican Judy Baar Topinka must hold down Democratic vote out of Cook County and increase GOP turnout in the Conservative base. Working in Judy Baar Topinka favor Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will be on the ballot. New stories such as Governor's babysitter to decide fate of fired workers and ethic problems in this Rod Blagojevich administration also helps Judy Baar Topinka.

Judy Baar Topinka still faces an up hill fight in a blue state. 2006 is shaping up to be a big Democratic year. Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich has a huge war chest and has been hitting Republican Judy Baar Topinka hard with television ads since the primary. Recent polls have Blagojevich wit the lead. Barring any October surprises Blagojevich will defeat Topinka, only the margin of the victory is in dispute. It is going to be close.