58 Comments - michael - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:09 pm: Kirk seems reasonable. He didn’t like BP much after the Lake Michigan thing. - Anon - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:15 pm: It appears Alexi cannot seem to answer any questions on many topics. Let me re-phrase, he answers without giving an answer. - Ghost - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:16 pm: Stuff in place to fix a problem is good, but lets look at the soruce of the problems… They were allowed to install a bad blow out preventer during the construction phase! There was no oversite with rigourous testing of this critical component by Federal regualtors! Then they had dead batteries! No redundant or backup oower supply was required, and no system to monitor and set off an alarm if the batteries were losing power? This disaster shows what we get from privat business whatching itself. We ned to step up regulatory monitoring and inspection as pat of the repair. not to mention dump the 75 mill liability cap. I am glad BP is not adhering to the cap, good for them. But it also begs the question about price gouging when during a crisis on the cost of fuel they are record profits in the billions, not saels in the billions, profits in the billions. We gran these monoply type drilling rights for pennies, then let them put it to the consumer at the pump… - Anon - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:18 pm: Rich- If I remember correctly a few years back, Kirk was the first one to come out against BP dumping in lake michigan…calling BP bad Polluter. - John Bambenek - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:21 pm: Ghost, what we get when government watches it self was the meritorious good time push… what’s the body count on that one? We could also talk about all that fantastic regulation the FDA does. Or the good work done at the SEC to prevent the economic implosion… I mean when they weren’t busy having “me time” that is. Just sayin’. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:22 pm: Anon, you remember correctly, but he was gung-ho about offshore drilling. Just as long as that offshore drilling wasn’t done in Lake Michigan. - Brennan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:25 pm: =By the way, i’ve read the Arizona legislation, and it’s a crock. Allowing people to sue police departments because they think they aren’t arresting enough illegals is extreme in the least.= The whole law or that section? - Anon - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:25 pm: Glad to see Kirk doing work in Quincy yesterday and Chicago today talking about jobs and economic issues. Much different from alexi’s event yesterday that certain media folks were invited to attend. last night Mary ann Ahern had a good package on Alexi’s event that she crashed. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:26 pm: ===The whole law or that section? === That’s just part of the crock. - OneMan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:29 pm: Wow, that’s some fine dancing there Alexi…. - Anon - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:29 pm: Rich- I think President Obama is/was for offshore drilling as well. - Edison Parker - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:32 pm: Was HP planning on taking a bus? If not, what ID were the illegal immigrant players going to produce for TSA and why wouldn’t that ID be enough if they were stopped in Arizona for some reason? - GoldCoastConservative - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:33 pm: Rich, I must take issue with your characterization of Hebson’s comments as “prudent.” The only reason Arizona’s new law would prevent an “undocumented” student from returning to Illinois would be if their illegal immigration status had been discovered after “a lawful contact” with law enforcement. That means the police would have detained the student first for suspscion of breaking another, unrelated law. (SB1070, Pg. 1, Ln. 20) And is it really “prudent” or rational to think that the police in Arizona will be focusing their attention on a group of well behaved, female, high school athletes visiting from another state? I think Hebson revealed her true motivations when she publicly asserted that travelling to Arizona “would not be aligned with our beliefs and values.” This has nothing to do with student safety and everything to do with a radical political ideology out of line with the vast majority of Americans (see NBC/WSJ poll). - difference - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:35 pm: Rich: there’s a difference between drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and drilling in a lake that happens to contain a significant portion of the United States’ fresh water supply. Just as there’s a difference between drilling for oil in the badlands of Texas and drilling in a wildlife refuge - Siriusly - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:36 pm: Cong. Kirk certainly could have showed that he knows the community better than what his statement reflects, he has lived in Highland Park for the past 10 years I think. Then again, maybe he doesn’t know HP at all. HP HS isn’t telling Arizonans what to do. HP didn’t even say anything about the law. All they did was move their girls basketball team to play in a tournament in a different state. Those who disagree can talk about politicizing all they want, but they are the ones doing the politicizing. HPHS didn’t call Fox News, someone else did. This is a school district that works very hard to teach tolerance and understanding of different cultures, they have nearly 20% latinos in that high school. It is very economically and racially diverse. I think that they did the right thing. I saw a great comment posted on the Tribune the other day (first time that happened). “When Sarah Palin is against you, you know you’re doing something right.” - 47th Ward - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:38 pm: ===I think President Obama is/was for offshore drilling as well.=== Yes, I believe you are correct. He is/was in favor of it, mostly because more offshore drilling was a top priority of GOP members of Congress (the drill baby drill crowd). I chalk it up to Obama’s willingness to meet the GOP halfway and act in a bi-partisan manner. He was open to more drilling in exchange for GOP support for a comprehensive energy policy that includes aspects of Waxman-Markey (which Kirk voted for last year). In about the worst case of bad timing imaginable, days after Obama stated his support for more offshore drilling, the rig in the gulf exploded. Now everything is on hold and Obama wants an independent panel to look into what happened. I’d hope those who point to Obama’s initial reversal on drilling also mention and credit him for attempting a bi-partisan solution to the country’s energy problems. But I won’t hold my breath. Either way, it’s clear that many of those in the drill-baby-drill camp are now firmly opposed to more drilling. Oil spills like this, rare as they are, have a way of driving home the risks inherent in offshore drilling. It’s part of the price we’re paying for our addiction to oil, a cost that isn’t currently paid for in the price of a gallon of gasoline. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:42 pm: Rich, in fairness, Giannoulias wasn’t asked for details about what he supports wrt immigration reform. The reporter kept asking him to take a position on the Highland Park team. I agree that ought to be able to answer that question with… a. I disagree with the decision b. my first instinct is to let the team play, but I’m confident that the school district has solid reasons for taking action c. I agree with the decision, b/c (it makes a statement) or (the Arizona law puts travelers at risk and the district would be negligent to expose students to that risk) d. I need to study the matter more. While the media would like a simple answer to a hot button question, some problems are more complicated than giving a simple answer. - John Bambenek - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:43 pm: Oh, the cost most certainly is paid for in the price of gasoline… where do you think they pay for the liability insurance of such an operation? Anything above that amount will be paid for with higher prices. Simple economics people… businesses are cost-passing entities. You impose a cost (or there is some cost they have to absord) and they simply raise their prices. - Moving to Oklahoma - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:44 pm: Build a fence. Problem solved. - Brennan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:44 pm: =All they did was move their girls basketball team to play in a tournament in a different state.= The school has sent students to China. Do you think necessary documents were only an issue for travel to Arizona or do you think the school is playing fast and loose with their own history? What a crock. - wordslinger - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:45 pm: Where’s Kirk on immigration? Other than building the fence and sending condoms to Mexico, his commentary is kind of light. So’s his website on the issue. Is he with Edgar and the Illinois Business Immigration Council and path to citizenship somewhere else on his party’s spectrum? How about the Illinois chamber? The U.S. Chamber has always been in favor of getting as much cheap labor as possible, and has been vocal on undocumented crackdowns. - A.B. - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:47 pm: Hang on guys. Highland Park is Mark Kirk’s home town. His home is on the property that used to be Fort Sheridan. It is nice for Highland Park High School claim they have a large Hispanic population, but that is definitely up for debate. Yes, Highland Park High School does take students from Highwood, where there is decent sized Hispanic population, but that 15 percent Hispanic population is not exactly overwhelming one of the wealthiest school districts in the state. http://hphs.dist113.org/aboutus/about_school/Pages/default.aspx Keep in mind that 15 percent is on par with or under the total percentage of the US population, not including those not reported in the country.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html - Adam Smith - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:48 pm: Kirk’s playbook looks solid. He is taking care of the X’s and O’s at the early stage, outraising Alexi, helping define Alexi’s negatives, and staying focused on jobs and the world economic situation. He’s also striking the right chord on the HP issue. Most people don’t want these kids to be political pawns for any side of the issue. Great contrast with Alexi. Alexi has a press event on a divisive issue (DADT) with very limited appeal outside his liberal base and sounds like Elmer Fudd trying to answer a question. Kirk stays focused on the number one issue and gives sensible answers to questions. - Louis G. Atsaves - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:49 pm: Kirk knows the area he lives in better than you think. This mess is in my backyard and I’ve heard mostly angry comments on both sides with those wanting the girls to play in Arizona in the majority. The HP High School administrators are in hiding and not granting interviews. The School Board read a statement prepared before the meeting stating that they supported the administrators (Did they meet in private to decide this? Did they violate the open meetings act?). They too don’t seem to be granting interviews. I’m not a fan of the Arizona bill, but it sure is interesting to watch a bunch of liberal Democrats actually make Sarah Palin look good on this issue. Even Zorn agrees with Palin! - shore - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:50 pm: when a guy who has been in dc for 30 years talks about “jobs plans” you have to raise an eyebrow. Even though I am kirk’s biggest fan on here after team america, you have to take this plan with a grain of salt because job growth is not something he has actually done day to day. Kirk has also had about 15 different positions on anwr which was a central issue in his first campaign for congress 10 years ago. as for the highland park girls, there is a simple solution for the future, pass a law in Illinois that requires students to be documented legal immigrants or they can’t be involved in activities. What if it had been a dupage high school with a choir going to perform in arizona, same issue, which is not unique to highwood. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:53 pm: shore, why should we have to change a law here just because Arizona passed a law there? - Siriusly - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:53 pm: What’s your point A.B. Because HP’s hispanic population is “only” 15% they should not be sensitive to the concerns of those students? Whatever dude. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:54 pm: Fair point John, Perhaps I could have phrased that better. I meant that there are environmental costs such as the loss of wildlife and damage to the ecosystem for which no claims can be paid (fishermen and tourism entities can and will file claims, but only for the loss of business and direct cleanup costs, not for the long-term impact of the spill on our ecosystem). BP has graciously agreed to ignore the $75 million cap on damages (for now), so kudos to them for doing the right thing (so far). But there are externalities with using fossil fuels that are not being paid by businesses or consumers. In fact, one could argue that a fair percentage of the US Defense budget is a subsidy for oil companies. And the cost of pollution via carbon currently is not accounted for in the price of a gallon of gasoline. Kirk deserves tremendous credit for his vote for Waxman Markey, which would create a market for carbon and thus a mechanism to pay for cleaner air. It took a lot of guts to cast that vote and I am grateful to him for it. It’s too bad he flip-flopped on it. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:56 pm: So, you are bashing Kirk because he is opposed to offshore drilling, or additional pollutants in the source of our drinking water, but was supportive of offshore drilling in the ocean, but now recommends that future offshore drilling in the ocean be accompanied with contingency plans when excessive oil spills into the ocean? I think it is perfectly fine for Kirk to recognize the common sense that you don’t add pollutants to a major source of drinking water, which the Gulf isn’t. But that’s just me. Then you are critical of the fact that some of us are opposed to a local school board derailing their girl’s championship basketball season due to the board’s dislike of politics within the hosting state. Their excuse is a weak justification of a political act. Do you really think this would happen to this basketball team if it was a boy’s champion basketball team? A lot of us don’t think so. Girl’s sports are considered secondary to boy’s sports, even in this day and age, especially since boys have a professional basketball career to dream about, and girls do not. Derailing the girl’s championship basketball team was easier for the Board to do precisely because it is a girl’s basketball team, according to some ladies with a long involvement in high school sports that I know. Kirk’s statement on this is right, as is Brady’s in this case. It is ridiculous to abuse this girl’s team in this way. The excuse that Arizona is going to arrest female high school basketball players and hassle them because they look Hispanic is an ugly accusation without an ounce of merit. No one is going to make every attending basketball team player certify their citizenship. That is gross fear mongering. If this actually happens, and the law has been in effect for a month without anything like this occuring - then we can revisit this “excuse”. Until then, a little common sense regarding the common sense of our fellow Americans in Arizona is in order. - Small Town Liberal - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:57 pm: - Ghost, what we get when government watches it self was the meritorious good time push… what’s the body count on that one? - This is maybe the most ignorant thing you’ve ever said John. Are you arguing that prisons should be privatized? Love to see the business plan on that one, are you going to charge rent? What would be BP’s motivation to have safety measures in place if there were no regulations and no agencies enforcing them? They apparently didn’t feel compelled on their own to make sure operations were safe, so why not have tougher monitoring? - Really?? - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 12:59 pm: Interesting article on how even law enforcment is divided on the AZ law. How anyone thinks this law isn’t going to lead to profiling is beyond me. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_immigration_cops_divided - Siriusly - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:01 pm: Louis - this sort of a decision is not subject to open meetings. With good reason I say. It’s not a board level decision. Just because the national media is in a tizzy, doesn’t change the fact that this should be a simple administrative decision. “We’re going to play in Orlando instead of Arizona.” I saw Amy Jacobson on Fox News huffing and puffing about the decision being “made in secret.” Sorry, but schools are hard enough to administer without having to make every minor decision a public debate. Jacobson got her bikini handed to her by the very smart HPHS student they had on against her. This decision was made at the appropriate level, no reason it should be a public debate - honestly folks. Television news coverage should not always dictate governance and policy priorities, thank goodness. - Siriusly - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:04 pm: Re: Alexi and his failure to even answer the question. I expect nothing better than that from him, although we can still hope. - just sayin' - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:06 pm: I don’t think for a second that school administrators actually believed there was a risk that any team members might be detained if they entered Arizona. Arizona may be getting tough but they aren’t going to be hassling tourists from other states. Cancelling was just a kneejerk response and now they’re backpeddling to come up with an excuse. Anything they figure must be better than the truth, i.e. that they cancelled at the whim of their own own personal political agenda. I would also say, if you’ve got players who are truly on the lam from law enforcement authorities, then you’ve probably got bigger problems than the team’s free throw percentage. - Really?? - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:14 pm: They don’t have players who are “on the lam from law enforcement authorities”. The AZ law as written requires police enforcing another law to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “reasonable” suspicion they are in the U.S. illegally. I don’t know how they are defining “reasonable”, but I’d imagine that there will be some officers out there that will consider being Hispanic in and of itself a “reasonable” suspicion. - fredformeranon - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:15 pm: “It’s good to see Kirk is now on board for common sense rules, which too many (including Kirk) didn’t support before this horrific disaster.” So Kirk was for drilling without safety equipment. Are there examples of this thinking in the form of votes or statements. Did he really say in the past that we should drill offshore without safety equipment? Did he really vote against safety equipment. Who were these other people who said they were against safety equipment? I thought government inspectors were negligent in inspecting the rig. I thought they had a blowout preventor which disintegrated during the drilling process but decided to drill anyway. I don’t know how politicians are to blame for the above? Don’t we have any common sense. Obama even said it, we should not point fingers. He explained it yesterday, no pointing fingers, because it is the MMS departments fault, BP, Haliburton and Bush. But no finger pointing please. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:44 pm: Another possible response for Giannoulias: “As U.S. Senator, I’m not going to spend time second-guessing individual school district decisions. The state of Arizona has passed a law that I strongly disagree with. As a result of this law, a school district in Illinois decided not to send its students to Arizona. It’s not the Highland Park school district that’s out-of-step with the U.S. Constitution and American values; it’s the Republican Party in Arizona that’s out-of-step with both the Constitution and American values.” - Peggy SO-IL - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:50 pm: FYI: Rep. Reitz is on record in a constituent letter to my husband as supporting the Arizona law. So, the school admits that illegal aliens attend and play sports at the school. If the feds are willing, these kids are at risk of deportation here in IL. So, some kids are denied the trip to protect others whose families are breaking the law. - Responsa - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:58 pm: The district 113 school board meeting last night brought in a large, mostly civil crowd. The two main topics of discussion were the proposal to put artificial turf on the HP football field and the mishandled Arizona softball trip. Considering that the Lake County property tax bills had just arrived to remind residents how much they were personally contributing to fund district 113, there were quite a few tax payers there in addition to Dist. 113 alums and parents of current students in attendance. There seemed to be 2 overarching themes–1. that the students and parents had been entirely left out of the softball decision when it was them raising the money for the trip and it should have been their call to make, not the district poobahs, and, 2. that the admin and school board’s mission is to see that the children receive a quality classical education. (Many parents who said they personally oppose the AZ legislation in principle did not feel the assistant Supt’s memos concerning “safety” and “values” were credible or appropriate for her role.) As of late this morning, after the meeting and after the writeup was published, according to the poll being run at the local Deerfield Review website, sentiment is running 75%-25% against the administrators and board. I think it is safe to say that Mark Kirk read his CD constituency pretty well on this one, in that the people closest to the situation apparently see the issue not as standing for, or against Arizona– but as an inappropriate and poorly thought out over-reach by school officials who should have other fish to fry. - Plutocrat03 - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 1:59 pm: So what is the exemption from the Freedom of Information Act to discuss the Board’s changing the venue for the basketball trip? It’s not my copy of the FOIA law…. I see nothing that explains what safety issues the Arizona law raises that relates to the students. When I travel abroad, I am required to keep my identification with me in case the authorities wish to talk to me. I have to show ID when I fly, and buy a drink. I have to show an ID if I want to cash a check. You are going to have a hard time explaining why asking a person who has already been accused of committing a crime for identification is a problem. What happens if a Chicago cop stops you for speeding? Will he shake your hand and wish you a nice day if you have no ID? HP has overreacted and used the girls as political pawns, by not reading the 12 pages of the law. Hiding behind the FOIA law will not work in my opinion. - Brennan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 2:05 pm: =but I’d imagine that there will be some officers out there that will consider being Hispanic in and of itself a “reasonable” suspicion.= Except the law also states law enforcement cannot use race or ethnic heritage in their decision. - jonbtuba - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 2:40 pm: Strong point made by Rich on how the community would go crazy if a student didn’t come home. Chances are most of these kids wouldn’t have their permanent resident papers on them. Brennan is somewhat right and somewhat wrong. The law prohibits ethnic profiling in its language, but the standard of “reasonable suspicion” for pulling someone over is much lower than a “probable cause” standard. Kids could be officially talked to for something else (loitering) and still be brought in; racial profiling is hard to prove. How else would Arizona cops have been getting away with it for decades? - Served - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 2:48 pm: The HP situation is lose-lose. Whether or not the parents and students raised the money to go to this tournament, it is a school team, and it’s the school that is liable, so it’s their decision. They’re still going on an out-of-state trip, right? One place was deemed too risky of a liability for the school, so another location is being chosen. - Springfield Sceptic - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:05 pm: If I remember correctly, the AZ law doesn’t go into effect until July 1. When is the Tourney? - Wumpus - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:14 pm: I guess talking points don’t always answer the question, Alexi. Lake Michigan-closed, fresh water..lake Gulf of Mexico-open, salt water I still want tresponsible drilling, but there is a huge difference. - Conservative Veteran - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:23 pm: The new Arizona immigration law will be implemented on July 29. The tournament will be played in Dec. - Really?? - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:37 pm: =Except the law also states law enforcement cannot use race or ethnic heritage in their decision.= True…and racial profiling is also prohibited in many states, and I’m guessing it still happens. If there is not a requirement that an individual be breaking another law in order to ask them for documentation of citizenship, how else do you think officials are going to determine who to ask for paperwork? - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:37 pm: Wumpus, do you consider what BP did to be responsible drilling? - grand old partisan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:43 pm: This is what’s so backwards about the illegal immigration debate. The asst super is basically saying: “we can’t take our students anywhere that immigration laws are vigorously enforce because some of them may be here illegally.” Think about that for a minute…. Now, I’m not saying that school administrators should be deputized as ICE agents – I understand that their first responsibility is to the protection of their students. But this isn’t protecting, it’s harboring. If a they have students who are illegal immigrants, they should not be obstructing the normal course of criminal justice. And that is fundamentally what they are doing when they base travel decisions on aggressiveness of enforcement for specific laws. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 3:54 pm: CORRECTION: I believe Senator Durbin was the first to come out in opposition to Lake Michigan dumping. - Confused - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:28 pm: Agrees with grand old partisan. If you haven’t done anything wrong and you don’t have anything to hide, what’s the worry? I would guess if one of the girls was in jeopardy of not coming back she would know that and choose not to go. People who are used to breaking the law are aware of what situations to avoid. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:30 pm: ===If you haven’t done anything wrong and you don’t have anything to hide, what’s the worry? === The line most quickly abandoned as soon as one figures out what that really means. - Confused - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:33 pm: If you drive the speed limit you don’t get pulled over for speeding. If you never drink and drive you don’t get DUI’s. If you here legally, you don’t get arrested for being here illegally. Am I missing something? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:46 pm: === Am I missing something?=== Yes. Any experience outside your obtusely naive existence. Nobody EVER got pulled over for speeding when they weren’t. Right. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:53 pm: I appreciate the support, Confused, but I agree with Rich that the way you phrased it can lead to a slippery slope. It’s curious, however, that the asst. super wasn’t (at least in the quote given) concerned with the potential “harassment” of law abiding students who might be unfairly profiled. She was straight-up worried that some students who might actually be in violation of the law might face the due consequences. - A.B. - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 4:58 pm: A bit late, but Siriously, my comment was in regards to teh statement that Highland Park HS has a large Hispanic population, which by most would be consider pure BS. Highland Park is a predominantly Caucasion / Jewish town with a sprinkling of a minority population. The school receives a few military brats from the extremely small number of service men and women still stationed at Ft. Sheridan. Other than that, the town of Highwood is the other significant contributor to their minority population. So my point is that while the HS tries to hide behind “protecting their students”, the reality is that they are full of BS and feel it is appropriate for a public high school to take a political stand on a state over a thousand miles away. My other point was the insinuation that Mark Kirk doesn’t know the school or town, which isn’t true as he has been paying taxes to that school for close to a decade. - Brennan - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 5:05 pm: =If there is not a requirement that an individual be breaking another law in order to ask them for documentation of citizenship, how else do you think officials are going to determine who to ask for paperwork?= Are you suggesting that law enforcement should not ask for any sort of identification when conducting an investigation? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 18, 10 @ 5:10 pm: Brennan, reread the comment. S/he was suggesting no such thing. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.