[Peace] [Announce] [Peace-discuss] WCIA has posted a petition re resignation of Mayor Schweighart

Sat Apr 17 20:06:28 CDT 2010

Chicago Tribune article yesterday:

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
— When a man with a video camera at a tea party protest asked Champaign
Mayor Jerry Schweighart what he thought of President Barack
Obama<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/government/barack-obama-PEPLT007408.topic>,
the three-term Republican didn't hesitate.

"I don't think he's American, personally," the mayor said Thursday in a
video that's been posted on
YouTube<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/entertainment/movies/youtube-ORCRP00000211004.topic>.
"You know, if you're not willing to produce an original certificate like a
birth certificate, then you've got something to hide."

The 71-year-old Schweighart told The Associated Press on Friday that he
stands by the statement.

"Oh, sure," he said. "My stand, and I don't understand why everybody is so
upset, is he's never shown the original birth certificate."
Schweighart was echoing complaints made by some tea party activists and
so-called birthers who doubt Obama is qualified to hold his office. Though
state officials in
Hawaii<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/hawaii-PLGEO100101900000000.topic>say
records confirm Obama was born there, birthers say the president has
never proven his citizenship.

A spokesman for the Illinois Democratic
Party<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/parties-movements/democratic-party-ORGOV0000005.topic>said
he was surprised to still be responding to questions about Obama's
legitimacy as president.

"Most rational people have discarded that question years ago," Steve Brown
said.

The mayor's statement led to discussion on local talk radio Friday. A
half-dozen or more callers sounded off on WDWS radio's "Penny for Your
Thoughts" program, some backing the mayor, some saying he embarrassed the
city.

Schweighart said the man who videotaped him appeared to be part of a student
group from the University of
Illinois<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-OREDU0000155.topic>who
attended the rally in opposition to the tea party. The YouTube video
was
posted by someone whose online ID is illinoisgrads, but the person didn't
respond to a request for comment that The Associated Press sent through the
Web site.

The mayor said he doesn't know Obama, though years ago he shared a table
with him at a Champaign event where Obama spoke. Schweighart said he had no
particular awareness of Obama as a politician — much less concern about him
— before the former senator from Illinois became president.

But Schweighart, who was a
Champaign<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/champaign-county-%28illinois%29/champaign-%28champaign-illinois%29-PLGEO100100602011576.topic>police
officer for 32 years, said he shares many tea party concerns about
the president's health care plan and other issues.

"It's just worrisome that the government is going to be running everything,"
he said.

On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:56 PM, Durango Mendoza <durangom at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Adding sugar and cream to the tea party birther line with a couple of
> verbal pastries on the side is to cloud the issue at hand. We have not just
> seen a slip of the tongue after quaffing from the tea party cup. We have
> glimpsed the underlying and fundamental base that guides the mayor’s
> thoughts, actions and non-actions.  They reveal, if not fully, why he could
> let the killing of a black teen not have logical consequences.
>
> Adding side issues that national wrongs should be addressed instead, and
> pointing out one’s right to lie bears a striking resemblance to school yard
> retorts, “Oh, yeah, what he did is nothing compared to what big so-and-so
> did, so just shut up already! Why don’t you make HIM stop if it bothers you
> so much?” Such dismissive and pot-stirring comparisons are too easily made
> and are fundamentally unhelpful. That larger issues need work does not mean
> local ones do not need action. This issue adds traction to the injustice
> ones.
>
> I’m sure there were some major national and world issues that needed work
> at the same time that a tired Rosa Parks decided to sit where she was rather
> than move. “Why, I bet some of those white passengers were more tired than
> she was. I mean, like, like...what makes her better than them? Don’t they
> have rights too? I bet she wasn't really tired. She just wanted to make
> local trouble.” And she did have a plan: start local and personal and larger
> change could follow. In spite of dismissers, apologists, assassins, and
> "moles" planted among the change agents, positive change happened. And more
> is needed as our work is not yet complete. It requires the helpful support
> of the many.
>
> Change does start one person at a time. Sadly, so does hate.
>
> DM
>
> > Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:13:25 -0500
> > From: galliher at illinois.edu
> > To: martiwilki at gmail.com
> > CC: peace at lists.chambana.net; peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net;
> announce at lists.communitycourtwatch.org
> > Subject: Re: [Peace] [Peace-discuss] WCIA has posted a petition re
> resignation of Mayor Schweighart
> >
> > And of course the chief magistrate whose legitimacy the mayor questions
> > has ordered murder on a large scale - including assassination and the
> > summary execution of American citizens; he's not merely failed to
> > fulfill his responsibilities in regard to corrupt and murderous police.
>
> >
> >
> > C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> > > Talk about straining at a gnat & swallowing a camel...
> > >
> > > There should be a serious campaign for the removal of the mayor of
> > > Champaign - & the other members of the Champaign City Council - for
> > > nonfeasance in not dismissing police officers responsible for the
> > > killing of an unarmed 15-year-old. But instead we have a frivolous
> > > campaign for his removal because he points out that the Constitution
> > > requires the president to be a natural-born citizen - as it does (art.
> > > 2, sect. 1) - and that questions have been raised whether Obama
> > > qualifies - as they have.
> > >
> > > It's hardly wrong to ask the question, as Obama supporters seem to
> > > assert. What's curious is the dog (or the mule) in the night - how
> > > hesitant the Democrats have been in answering the question. You'd think
>
> > > that they would go out of their way to refute any suggestion that Obama
>
> > > is not constitutionally entitled to be president. --CGE
> > >
> > >
> > > Marti Wilkinson wrote:
> > >> I'm of the opinion that removing the mayor from office is best done
> > >> with the vote of the people. Setting aside his stupid remarks at the
> > >> 'Tea Party' - I would like to see a democratic process take place
> > >> where *his record* **becomes the focus. Since he has taken office he
> > >> has supported the actions of the police force, has voted against
> > >> broadband,and is generally rude and boorish towards the citizens who
> > >> question the actions of the city council during public commentary. I
> > >> could go on of course, but demanding that he resign at this point
> > >> will just bring out every 'birther' out of the woodwork. Is that
> > >> really in the best interest of the citizenry.
> > >>
> > >> Besides, Jerry is a figurehead at best. The person who really runs
> > >> the show in Champaign is Steve Carter...perhaps we can circulate a
> > >> petition asking him to resign over his failure to fire Chief Finney
> > >> and for allowing Officer Norbits to work while supposedly on
> > >> 'administrative leave'.
> > >>
> > >> Marti
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:01 AM, Jenifer Cartwright
> > >> <jencart13 at yahoo.com>wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> I just watched the Ch 3 News. The lead story was about Schweighart
> > >>> and titled, "Caught On Tape." The story ended w/ an online petition
> > >>> re the Mayor's resignation. Here's the link to the story
> > >>> http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=143655&watch=1 and the
> > >>> petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/schweighartresign/
> > >>>
> > >>> <http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=143655&watch=1>They
> > >>> played the YouTube video a couple of times, and took statements
> > >>> afterwards in which he reaffirmed his opinion that Obama isn't an
> > >>> American because he wasn't born in the US, tho' he conceded he's
> > >>> become a citizen since then. They interviewed the grad student John
> > >>> O'Connor, the guy who taped Schweighart. He said he went public w/
> > >>> the tape because "it's the right of all citizens to know that he
> > >>> believes this and to make judgments based on this. He is a private
> > >>> citizen, but the fact is, he is also the mayor... and if he
> > >>> believes a fringe, frankly loony conspiracy theory, that directly
> > >>> impacts his ability to do his job." The report said that the mayor
> > >>> said his office has received several phone calls, some asking for
> > >>> his resignation, but that that's "something that won't happen
> > >>> anytime soon." County Board member Alan Kurtz said that the mayor
> > >>> should resign as he represents the city... and "How do you run a
> > >>> city when you don't have the facts?"
> > >>>
> > >>> Jennifer Roscoe said that 3 cases re Obama's Citizenship had been
> > >>> filed w/ the IL Supreme Court and all had been dismissed.
> > >>>
> > >>> She also said that there is an online petition and that Channel 3
> > >>> wants to know what we think. Again, here's that link
> > >>> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/schweighartresign/ --Jenifer
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
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> > >>> be clean. _______________________________________________ Peace
> > >>> mailing list Peace at lists.chambana.net
> > >>> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing
> > >> list Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> > >> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss
> > >
> >
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