Why is Illinois So Corrupt?

Watch the videos on this site:

http://www.crimefilenews.com/2008/12/chicago-corruption-fighter-and-author.html

Robert Cooley is a former mafia lawyer who worked with corrupt Illinois officials and judges. He turned state's witness and he explains how the Chicago "Machine" still run by Alderman Ed Burke who "picks" the judges and controls the Chicago City Finance Committee and his wife corrupt Illinois Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke still are up to their ears in corrupt politics as usual. He talks how this cabal of corruption:

1- controls the media,
2-pays off the U S Attorney (former and probably still pays off his middle men, hired during this super corrupt era, who hide stuff from present US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald so the only people prosecuted are fall guys like Blagojevic so as to take the heat off the real top dog crooks like:
A- Jim Thompson (former Gov X 16 years, Director of CIA oversight committee under 1st
President Bush and member of 911 Commission under W)
B-Madigans (Speaker of the House Michael and his daughter Attorney General Lisa, who
lauder all the bribery money kicked back from State, County and City contracts through
their political fund "friends of Madigan"),
C-the Burkes, and
D-the Daleys(Richard - Chicago Mayor and partner of John Burge [the torturer to get
murder confessions] while he was state's attorney, John - Cook Co. Commissioner who
controlled Co. Board President John Stroger Sr and his Son Todd who replaced him, and
William former Commerce Secr. under Cliniton and now wants to be Gov of IL and
therefore needs to discredit Blagojevic and Lisa Madigan).

A summary of the "system" running Illinois in my view is as follows:

Illinois for too long has been under the control of the:
1- Kingdom of former Gov. Jim (Prince John) Thompson and
2-his Lords, Chicago Mayor Richard M. and Cook Co. Commissioner John Daley (sons of former Mayor Richard J.), County Board Pres. John Stroger Jr. (son of former County Board Pres. John Stroger),
3-House Speaker Michael and his daughter Atty Gen. Lisa Madigan,
4-Alderman Ed (buddy of Fast Ed[dy] now convict Vrydoliak - both of them were leaders against African American Mayor Washington in the "cousel wars" 20 years ago) and IL. Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke,
5-former Sheriff (of Nottingham) Sheahan, and
6-State's Attorney Richard (Gisbourne) Divine, as well as
7-other Lords such as former Sen. President Emil Jones and now his son Emil Jones Jr.

Political office is inherited in Illinois, elected by political patronage paid for by bribery (10% of all contracts SHALL be donated (kicked-back) to political funds such as "Friends of Madigan" and "Friends of Blagojevic"), and decided in closed back room "deals" (bribes, tit-for-tat, nothing to do with competency or experience, etc.).Its time we have a truth commission in Illinois to give clemency to low level players so that we can reveal the true extent of the corruption, encourage witnesses to come out of the woodwork and reveal their evidence, as well as start anew with a high level of transparency. We desperately need new blood in Illinois and help from the U.S. Attorney in breaking the cycle of corruption, bribery, kick-backs, patronage, and nepotism.

A UIC professor said: Patronage breeds corruption like garbage breeds flies. SOOO true in Illinois.

Other examples of inherited office in Illinois include US Representative Lipinsky and his son who replaced him in Washington DC, and Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and his son who has replaced him in the Senate.

Kim Long who authored a book about government corruption talks how corruption started in the colonial days and has continued with pockets of intense corruption in Illinois, Louisiana, and New Jersey.

For the early days of the "Chicago Machine" and corruption see:

http://hickeysite.blogspot.com/2008/12/theres-sucker-born-every-minute-michael.html

The Secretive Atmosphere in Illinois, Government Corruption, and Gov. Blagojevic Arrest

I am concerned about the lack of transparency regarding the overall atmosphere in Illinois in particular related to the Gov. Blagojevic arrest, and I presume soon to be announced indictment.

Illinois for too long has been under the control of the Kingdom of former Gov. Jim (Prince John) Thompson and his Lords, Chicago Mayor Richard M. and Cook Co. Commissioner John Daley (sons of former Mayor Richard J.), County Board Pres. John Stroger Jr. (son of former County Board Pres. John Stroger), House Speaker Michael and his daughter Atty Gen. Lisa Madigan, Alderman Ed (buddy of Fast Ed[dy] now convict Vrdolyak) and IL. Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke, former Sheriff (of Nottingham) Sheahan, and State's Attorney Richard (Gisbourne) Divine, as well as other Lords such as former Sen. President Emil Jones and now his son Emil Jones Jr. Political office is inherited in Illinois, elected by political patronage paid for by bribery (10% of all contracts SHALL be donated (kicked-back) to political funds such as "Friends of Madigan" and "Friends of Blagojevic"), and decided in closed back room "deals" (bribes, tit-for-tat, nothing to do with competency or experience, etc.).

Its time we have a truth commission in Illinois to give clemency to low level players so that we can reveal the true extent of the corruption, encourage witnesses to come out of the woodwork and reveal their evidence, as well as start anew with a high level of transparency. We desperately need new blood in Illinois and help from the U.S. Attorney in breaking the cycle of corruption, bribery, kick-backs, patronage, and nepotism.

Fear is powerful. It keeps witnesses from talking. Fear in IL is used by making patronage workers fear job loss, fear loss of promotion, fear poverty. Whistle blowers are threatened by defamation, false arrests, and false statements about their sexual life or sexual preferences. This is topped off with death threats on the phone and a history of "suicide" by those arrested and charged with corruption who have positions just under the powerful like John Stroger Sr.'s godson Orlando Jones.

A UIC professor said: Patronage breeds corruption like garbage breeds flies. SOOO true in Illinois.

For more information about Illinois Corruption see the blogs:

http://cookcountyjudges.wordpress.com/

http://cookcountysheriffdeputies.wordpress.com/

http://chicagofbi.wordpress.com/

http://7thcircuitcourts.wordpress.com/

and other posts on this blog.



Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. is identified as Candidate # 5 in the U.S. Attorney complaint against Gov. Blagojevic. Apparently someone connected with him was approached by Gov. Blagojevic operatives in order to negotiate Rep. Jackson “compensating” Gov. Blagojevic with funds for his political campaigns IF Rep. Jackson was placed higher on the list for appointment as Senator. Rep. Jackson should reveal the name of his associate and exactly what was discussed between his associate and Gov. Blagojevic’s operatives. If he is unwilling to do so, I MUST presume he has something to cover up. If he made NO inappropriate offer to produce campaign funds for Gov. Blagojevic (bribe) in exchange for or compensation for obtaining the Senate seat, then he should have nothing to hide and be totally willing to reveal all conversations occurring between his staff or operatives and Gov. Blagojevic’s staff or operatives, as well as the names of these people.

The same holds true for Pres.-Elect Obama. If someone from his staff spoke to someone in Gov. Blagojevic’s staff concerning filling his Senate seat he should reveal their name and insist that the staff member be totally transparent about the conversation. If he doesn’t do this quickly the public and press will assume he has something to hide.

Senator Durbin has requested that Gov. Ryan be granted clemency. I think he should withdraw that request because of reasons I state elsewhere,

http://illinoiscorruption.blogspot.com/2008/12/no-clemency-for-convict-former-governor.html,

as well as the fact that it would diminish the seriousness of his offense. Persons in office deserve VERY stiff sentence when they break the public trust. This is essentially treason. For Gov. Blagojevic to try to corrupt the US Senate by appointing someone who bought the office is also tantamount to treason but at a higher level. It should be treated as such in my book. His acts, if true, were so blatant, arrogant, and beyond the pale to astonish all. The punishment if he is convicted should be EXTREMELY steep.

I have informed Senator Durbin of a lot of facts related to corruption in the courts and government offices in Illinois that violate state law and amount to felony conspiracy to violate rights under color of law. I had asked him to consider holding congressional hearings on this topic and review the federal law regarding this to find ways to better enforce civil rights law and the right to a fair trial. I was exceedingly disappointed in his response. He said its not a federal issue and I should consult a state legislator. He is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As such he should clearly see this IS A FEDERAL ISSUE. He has a sworn duty to uphold the laws of this land. He was informed of felony conduct of government officials and members of the courts in Illinois. He should have referred the issue to the US Attorney and considered holding hearings. His failure to do so means he has disregarded his DUTY to uphold the laws of the land, failed to respond to a citizen in Illinois about pressing civil rights issues and government corruption issues that have culminated with with the arrest of Gov. Blagojevic, and makes me assume he is more interested in covering up corruption and forgiving corruption in Illinois than addressing these issues. I now must question his loyalty to the constitution and the citizens of Illinois.


His e-mail to me is as follows:


December 9, 2008




Dr. Linda Shelton
9905 S. Kilbourn Ave
Oak Lawn, IL 60453


Dear Dr. Shelton:

Thank you for contacting me about a blog alleging corruption in the Illinois judicial system. I appreciate hearing from you.

This issue is under the jurisdiction of state and local government. As a federal official, I do not have a formal role in this matter. However, I appreciate knowing your concerns.

You may want to contact your State Senator and State Representative to let them know your views. You can find their names and office telephone numbers by entering your home address at the website of the Illinois State Board of Elections, http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx, or by calling the Board at (866) 262-6663.

Again, thank you for your message. If I can be of any service regarding an issue before the United States Senate, please do not hesitate to contact my office.


Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

RJD/td

Corrupt Blagojevic Considers Corrupt Lisa Madigan to Replace Obama in Senate

News media are reporting that Gov. Rod Blagojevic is considering appointing Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as a United States Senator from Illinois to replace President-Elect Obama who must now resign his Senate seat.

This makes perfect sense for Blagojevic. Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan has been constantly challenging and impeding the Governor's agenda so that Blagojevic looks bad to the voters. His agenda is to replace Blagojevic with his daughter, the least qualified and most imcompetent Attorney General in the history of Illinois.

Ask yourself who controls the political fund "Friends of Madigan" which rumor has it is used to launder the 10% kickback (bribe) needed to obtain contracts in C[r]ook County and Illinois. Perhaps US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has traced the money trail from contractors to this fund, but I doubt it as the US Attorney's office and FBI work SOOOOO slow!

AG Madigan hasn't even been able to handle a simple matter that is her responsibility - providing parking spaces for the handicapped. Look at downtown Chicago as well as the Daley Center courthouse. It is impossible to find handicapped parking. Look at the new Domestic Violence courthouse at 555 W. Harrison - 4 handicapped spaces that are always filled by 7:30 by employees. A handicapped person has to pay for parking next door at a high fee and the lot is probably owned or invested in by some friend of the cabal of corruption in Illinois, C[r]ook County, and Chicago politicians. Everything in Illinois is handled by nepotism or patronage. We generally don't go with the most qualified person - that would not permit bloating the payroll with unnecessary patronage jobs so that the politicians have an army of supporters at their beck and call. The only other option is parking 3-4 blocks away.

I wrote her office a letter asking her to deal with this issue and despite the fact that is one of her responsibilities as AG her staff concluded they could not get involved. I have referred this issue to the disabilities rights section of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. I don't expect action however, as the U.S. Attorney's office is pretty dysfunctional and slow.

Look at AG Madigan's handling of sex offenders. All hot air! She has done nothing to improve safety in the community by helping them find places to live where they are not concentrated in poor inner city communities, or ways to decrease recitivism by helping ex-cons find jobs. It doesn't prevent sex crimes to harass 95 % of sex offenders who really are low risk to the community (Johns who were serviced by unknowing to them underage prostitutes, 19 year olds having sex with 17 year olds, etc.). We need to focus on the 5 % or so sex offenders who are truly dangerous and find ways to monitor them and supervise them better. All we are doing is teaching 95 % of sex offenders to be thieves or commit other crimes as they now have no place to live and no means of support.

With our failed 40 year experient on being "tough on crime" where we have incarcerated 40 times the number of people as any other civilized country, where we have eliminated rehabilitation in prison (no education available other than high school equivilency, cooking, training dogs, a little furniture assembly, and beautician school), have made parole and re-integration into society a joke with a parole call-in number that is busy even after calling it 30 times, with parole agents that are the poorest trained in the nation, with almost no programs for job -training in prison or after prison, no health care when a person is released, no place to live and no help getting a place to live, and no job opportunities or drug treatment (except for a new but have you effective pilot program at Sheridan) we now are reaping the benefits of this failed program. There is a huge increase in new releases from prison (> 600,000 per year in U.S.). All these ex-cons who have been denied rehabilitative training in prison and given long prison sentences are now being released, without drug addiction treatment or mental health care. I expect a rapid increase in the crime rate over the next decade. Has AG Madigan shown ANY leadership in this area? We have only punished and destroyed potentially useful lives (and their families), as well as added to our economic crisis (10 % of population is employed in prison-industrial complex, all those prisoners are not contributing to the tax base, and their families end up on welfare and are a burden to taxpayers), including many who are innocent with our runaway [in]justice system. This only leads to anger which will spill over on the streets.

Why would we want a Senator who hasn't even shown leadership in her present job?

Perhaps the Press will look into several Federal Habeas Petitions pending before Hon. Judge Coar that reveal that Lisa Madigan has violated her oath of office and is without legal authority maliciously prosecuting providers of mental health care to persons on Medicaid in a scheme to deny payment for mental health care for persons on Medicaid. This will save the State plenty of money, increase the crime rate because those with mental illness may not obtain treatment and end up on the streets or committing crimes [I do NOT want to imply that mental illness necessarily means a person will commit a crime, but it is true that those that are seriously mentally ill with psychosis and drug addiction are disproportionately represented in the prison population in Illinois]. I believe that if our society did provide adequate mental health treatment for all that thousands would benefit by being able to be productive members of society and the many crimes resulting from their psychosis or drug addiction would vastly decrease.

She should be helping providers service Medicaid patients instead of decimating mental health care in Illinois!

The federal case numbers and name of both cases, where the pleadings can be obtained on line through PACER are: Shelton v. Cook County Circuit Court; 08 C 4627 and 08 C 6216. I also have a federal civil rights suit against Lisa Madigan for violation of civil rights under color of law, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, etc. See: Shelton v. Madigan 06 C 4259.

Look also at my other posts on this blog concerning Cook County Jail and the civil rights violations, abuse of prisoners, illegal drugging of prisoners, and murder of prisoners by guards, as well as the post about the scheme of Illinois Medicaid to deny mental health care to those on Medicaid. Has AG Madigan done anything about these crimes? No! - she just covers it up and is part of it. Read my federal suits!

If Blagojevic appoints Lisa Madigan Senator to replace Obama, then he will do what all good politicians do to get rid of an unwanted rival - promote her to a position where she is out of the picture. Typical Illinois politics! I await the day when both Blagojevic and Lisa Madigan are indicted and put away. Illinois doesn't deserve these criminals. I just wish that US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't so slow about indictments. Justice delayed is justice denied and it costs lives!