Illinois

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Land of Lincoln...the prairie state...corn, soybeans, and pumpkins. Chicago-inclusive, but there's a lot more to Illinois than just the Windy City.

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"Republicans cannot know a moment of peace." This is the energy I've been looking for! I hope he keeps it up and protects Illinoisans who do have to take off work or get into good trouble with the feds.

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I know Lemmy is not a police friendly site, but this is actually, undeniably a good move so far with visible results from what I can tell. Leveraging interest in true crime to help solve crime? That's... That's a step forward in my book.

Im just one guy though, maybe there's other perspectives on why this is a bad thing, thoughts?

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cross-posted from: https://possum.news/post/28133

cross-posted from: https://possum.news/post/28063

Insurrection act — April 20th. Pls read!

Discussion I really wish there was a way to get this into the hands of every American before April 20th.

FROM THE MEDIUM:

Part 1: On April 20th, 2025, the United States may Cross the Point of No Return.

It sounds wild. Maybe even crazy. But every step is already in motion. I’d be happy to be wrong. But if this is correct… you’ll be ready.

On April 20, 2025, the United States may initiate its final steps into authoritarian rule.

That’s the day Donald Trump’s advisory committee is expected to release its findings on whether he should invoke the Insurrection Act — a move that would allow him to deploy the military domestically and allow Trump to impose martial law. (San Francisco Chronicle). Given Hegseth and Noem are the main “advisors”, the conclusion is foregone.

And as his two months in office has already shown, he won’t stop at just a legal opinion.

Expect an executive order even that same day or the next, officially declaring the Insurrection Act, restricting freedoms in the name of restoring control of the border and perhaps in blue-state cities, and setting the larger plan in motion.

Of course, this won’t be framed as an attack on democracy. It will be packaged as a necessary response to crisis — as authoritarian takeovers always are.

But once it happens, there’s no going back.

THIS WILL BE THE POINT OF NO RETURN.

The roadmap for overthrowing a democratic government isn’t new or theoretical — it’s a well-worn playbook, tested and repeated across history by those who crave power more than liberty. After rejecting it initially, being incredulous, I have realized there is too much evidence suggesting this may be what’s happening now to remain silent.

Telling other people what may be happening, so they can recognize it and maybe together we can stop it, is my entire purpose here.

This is Part 1 of what has turned into a series: Their Coup Playbook: How They Quietly Kill the Constitution in the Coming Weeks and Months

THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY ENDS: HERE’S THEIR PLAYBOOK

It won’t all happen in one night.

Instead, the process will unfold in stages, each step making resistance harder.

Free elections, a free press, and the right to protest will disappear one piece at a time, until there’s nothing left to save.

My entire goal here is to make people aware, so you can recognize it, if it really is what’s happening, and maybe together we can help stop it. It’s all I, personally, can do.

Here’s how it will happen, step by step, after Trump invokes the Insurrection Act with an Executive Order:

  1. “Resist!” Demonstrations Grow — Just As Planned Left-leaning and even more centrist people will be alarmed. Peaceful protests will be organized nationwide, as they already have been being organized now, with growing numbers of people joining protests each week.

The calls to “Resist!” will grow louder, and large-scale demonstrations will begin forming in major cities. This is exactly what Trump wants. He didn’t invoke the Insurrection Act sooner because he needed his opposition to gather first — so he could use them as a tool for his next step.

He also waited 90 days, instead of invoking it on Day 1 as Project 2025 recommended, so he would have his people in place, and remove those who would oppose them in the government, military, courts, and civil positions.

His cabal is waiting for a strong reaction — they want massive unrest. They need a justification to kick off the next steps in their plan.

  1. The False Flag Crisis: Turning Protest into “Terror” The protests will turn violent quickly. Maybe in a day, maybe during the next big protest the following weekend.

They will turn violent not because of the protesters, but because they will have been infiltrated by agents provocateurs, from militia groups like The Proud Boys, whose goal is to escalate as quickly as possible and give Trump and his cabal an excuse to trigger the next stage.

Expect “terrorist” bombings, targeted assassinations, or high-profile acts of violence, either staged or exploited, to justify the crackdown.

There may even be an extremely high profile assassination of a leading right-wing leader that changes everything in a moment… and the “woke radicals” will be blamed, and the country will rally around more extreme measures to bring back order and control.

The media will be flooded with images of chaos, pushing the public into a state of fear. Calls for “order” will follow.

  1. Trump Declares Expanded Martial Law — And Calls for Militia to assist the police and Military

Trump has already invoked the Insurrection Act — so now he now declares even more extensive and repressive martial law, and orders troops into major US cities where most oppose him, branding protesters and opponents as “seditionists,” “traitors,” and the “woke mob”.

He will call on “good Americans” to grab their guns, like the patriots of 1776, and join the militias forming to “restore order” and “take back control” from the leftist threat. Using militias also gets him around resistance from military leaders who might oppose his orders. The militias already exist — the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, and others— and they are not some distant fringe. They were at January 6. The most extreme and radicalized are all released from prison now.They are ready to roll, and to answer Trump’s call, which they were waiting for four years ago.

The militia members are your neighbors. The difference between them and you? These neighbors own and have been training with AR-15s. You and your friends? Not so much.

This will be framed as “helping the police” and “keeping order.” Law enforcement will quietly welcome them — or, in some cases, will deputize them, with Trump’s support.

  1. Mass Arrests of Opposition Leaders Journalists, Democratic officials, and activists will be arrested under charges of sedition, terrorism, or “inciting violence.”

Expect Mark Milley, Liz Cheyney, and Adam Kinzinger to be arrested quickly and with great press coverage. How long the show trials take is probably a good measure of how much control Trump has established over the courts.

Key Democratic governors and attorneys general will be removed first, ensuring no state-level resistance. Law enforcement and military ranks will be purged, with loyalty tests ensuring only Trump-aligned officers remain.

  1. Military & National Guard Take Over Major Cities Expect deployments in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other blue-state strongholds.

Curfews and lockdowns will be imposed, justified as measures to “restore peace.”

Checkpoints and military policing will become the new normal. Expect them in particular along major highways going to Canada or Mexico, and in red states — to identify and detain seditionists, traitors, and people of questionable loyalty.

Trump’s building of detainment centers in Guantanamo, and expansion of the 106 other ICE detention centers, was not actually intended for illegal migrants. And just a few days ago, Blackwater founder and Billionaire Erik Prince offered to help Trump “privatize deportation camps” as has been being done with prisons per Trump’s Day 1 Executive Order. So now Trump has an extrajudicial place to store the disloyal and those who resist, in for-profit camps guarded by militias and loyal military. Until he decides what to do with them.

  1. Press Censorship & Total Media Control Independent news outlets will face shutdowns or takeovers. Those that resist will see their journalists arrested or harassed.

Mainstream media will be forced into compliance. Blackmail, corporate pressure, and legal threats will ensure they toe the line.

Social media platforms like X (Twitter) will amplify the official narrative, drowning out opposition.

Other social media and lines of communication will be turned off. The Internet will be monitored, people identified from this monitoring for arrest, using Palantir technology. Peter Thiel, who I’ve written about before, is co-founder of Palantir. We will fully enter the surveillance state.

  1. Borders Close & Dissidents Are Trapped Inside Passports will be revoked for critics and opponents. If you’re on a list, you’re not leaving. Especially if you’re of Draft age.

No-fly lists will expand to include activists and journalists.

ICE and DHS will be weaponized — not just against immigrants, but against political enemies.

  1. Elections Are “Postponed” Indefinitely

The 2026 midterms will be suspended under the excuse of national security concerns. Red-state legislatures will eliminate Democratic-leaning districts, ensuring permanent Republican control.

By 2028, Trump (or his handpicked successor) will run unopposed. Elections will be a formality, probably still held. But rigged.

PROJECT 2025 AND THE INSURRECTION ACT: THIS WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN

This isn’t speculation.

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 lays out a detailed strategy for permanent right-wing control. It openly advocates using the Insurrection Act to crush opposition and dismantle the administrative state. Trump isn’t improvising — he’s following a script.

We Can’t Wait — The Time to Act Is Now

We can’t sit back and wait for Trump to fire the starting gun — because once he does, it will already be too late.

We need to prepare now.

We need to plan now.

We need to dismantle his plans before they begin.

We have one month.

That’s it.

The Only Way to Stop this Coup is by Exposing It

The only way I can think of to stop this conspiracy, which is in final planning stages, is through exposure. If people see the playbook in advance, they will be less likely be manipulated when it happens.

They might question the narrative. “Wait. This is what they said would happen. I thought it was crazy. But maybe…”

We need to spread this narrative far and wide so that when the moment comes, no one can claim ignorance.

Maybe we will be proven wrong.

Maybe we will look silly.

Or maybe… we will have derailed the plan, by telling people what to look for, to recognize the playbook steps as (if) they happen.

Here’s what we must do before April 20:

Empower the press, law enforcement, military, and elected officials to recognize the game that’s being played. They need to understand what’s happening before they are pressured to go along with it.

**Share this post, or write your own. Do your own research. Don’t take my word for it. Talk with your friends and family about this crazy conspiracy theory that can’t rally happen… can it? ** So if and when the steps actually happen, people recognize it for what it is.

Prepare the public so they don’t take the bait. Trump and his cabal want protests to explode into chaos.

They want violence in the streets to justify their crackdown. We must be ready to outmaneuver them — to refuse to be used as pawns in their game.

Stand up to the militias — and stop friends and family from joining them. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other armed groups will be mobilized as Trump’s shock troops. They will be framed as “restoring order” and “helping the police.” We need to be ready to counter this, to make sure our neighbors, friends, and family don’t get sucked in.

Inoculate our fellow citizens against the propaganda. Most Americans are good people — but good people can be misled. They can be scared into compliance. Our job is to make sure they see what’s happening before it’s too late.

The only way to stop this plot is to expose it, reject it, and make it unmistakably clear to every American what is happening. We must stop these malign forces from enacting their will on our country, the world, and each of us and our families.

WHAT IF WE DON’T STOP IT?

If it is not stopped, and Trump enacts the Insurrection Act, at that point we probably only have 48 to 72 hours to try to stop everything from happening after the Executive Order.

Once martial law is imposed, there will be a tiny window — no more than three days — before resistance becomes nearly impossible.

Stopping it before it happens is the best option.

But what if we don’t?

In my next post, I’ll outline peaceful, strategic ways to resist — while we still can. And what our reduced options are if it still happens.

If we don’t act before April 20, then by April 23, it will already be too late.

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MEXICO CITY (WCIA) — Governor JB Pritzker signed a memorandum of understanding between Mexico and Illinois on Monday during a trade mission.

Pritzker signed the Addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez. The agreement signed by Pritzker affirms commitment to continued trade and manufacturing collaborations with a focus on biotechnology and water resources. Illinois, other states sue HHS, RFK Jr. over public grant cuts

The MOU comes at the start of a delegation trip from Illinois to Mexico City with the purpose of deepening economic cooperation and opportunities between Illinois and Mexico. This specific agreement emphasizes the strong ties with a specific focus on bilateral trade in industries including manufacturing, agriculture and finance, according to a media release from Pritzker’s office.

“Mexico has been an essential partner to the state of Illinois for decades, and I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Gómez Álvarez and assert the importance of this continuing relationship,” Pritzker said. “More than ever before, we must reassure our neighbors in Mexico that Illinois will remain a beacon of economic and cultural cooperation and opportunity for our people.”

This agreement aims to promote strategic alliances between state government authorities, universities and research centers.

The MOU emphasized the impact of sustainable and efficient water usage and the necessary biotechnology to facilitate a future with clean water. This has proved to be an important issue in both Illinois and Mexico.

This specific MOU is a celebration of the 35-year anniversary of the signing of the first MOU between Mexico and Illinois, which was signed in 1990 by Governor Thompson and reaffirmed by Governor Quinn in 2013. This agreement focused on higher education and research, specifically on a project regarding corn research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This MOU signing is just part of the delegation trip lead by Pritzker to Mexico City from March 30 to April 2. Pritzker, the Lieutenant Governor, senior state and education officials, private partners and business executives have been meeting with Mexican government and business officials on the trip.

Additionally, this trip aims to pave the way for future investments and emphasized the continued success between Illinois and Mexico.

“Illinois has long held Mexico in the highest regard, and there’s nothing more powerful to sparking innovation than human connection. I’m proud of Illinois’ ongoing commitment to progress, as shown today by Governor Pritzker and Governor Gómez Álvarez,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Expanding our mutual progress will ensure future generations will benefit from the bridge we’ve built together.”

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I can hear the vexillologists weep.

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says about 70% of the students who leave the state to go to college never return, so he's pushing legislation that would allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees at a discount.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. Pritzker and various members of the Illinois congressional delegation have sent a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to demand accountability for $1.88 billion in federal funding being withheld from the state.

Last month, the White House said it would temporarily halt federal funding to ensure that the payments complied with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The administration rescinded a memo outlining its planned funding freeze after a federal judge issued a restraining order, blocking the federal spending pause. Since then, nearly two dozen states have filed lawsuits, arguing that the funding freeze violates their First Amendment rights.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, said the case is moot because the memo was rescinded.

The DOJ has also said the administration still plans to freeze some funds that target issues such as gender identity, foreign aid, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

According to Pritzker, as of mid-February, Illinois agencies still report an inability to access funds, including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Finance Authority, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Department of Labor, and Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

The letter, addressed to OMB Director Russell Vought, reads, “On behalf of our constituents, we are seeking full transparency and accountability on any and all funding that has been paused or interrupted. If the Trump Administration is unable to follow the law and uphold their end of the deal, the people of our state deserve to know.”

In addition to Gov. Pritzker, the letter is signed by Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and other Illinois Democrats.

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In a written directive, the Democratic Illinois governor tells his hiring office that "no one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government."

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This is extremely worrying

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Some notable ones are forcing insurances to supply brand name medications if generics are out due to supply issues, capping epi-pens at $60 and forced autism training for cops, surprising stuff from my state which, frankly, I didn't have high hopes for

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Planned Parenthood of Illinois is collaborating with Hey Jane, a virtual abortion provider, to enhance access to abortion services in Illinois. This partnership allows Hey Jane patients to access procedural abortion care through Planned Parenthood, while Planned Parenthood patients can obtain medication abortions via Hey Jane. Patients can receive medications discreetly by mail or pick them up at a Planned Parenthood health center. Both organizations accept private insurance and provide financial assistance, with Planned Parenthood also accepting Medicaid and offering no-cost abortion care to eligible Illinois residents.

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In Champaign County, the service election officials use to look up voter information went down for two hours. Polling places were unable to record votes during that time. This is a repeat of the same problem that happened in the 2022 election. The contractor responsible for maintaining that service both times was Platinum Technology Resource.

Just a few months ago, we learned Platinum Tech failed to password-protect their databases, leaking 4.6 million records including some SSNs associated with Illinois voters. I thought Illinois law requires business to inform consumers about the breach of their data. I didn't get any notice; perhaps there are some caveats?

Does your county use Platinum Tech to manage their voter information? Did your county have issues on election day or was everything smooth?

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Two local races of note:

  1. Sales tax increase for public safety failed 66 to 44%. "The money would have gone toward hiring mental health professionals for the sheriff’s department and three more attorneys in the public defender’s office" according to WCIA, but State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) came out against it, saying she doesn’t believe in taxing poor and working class people on services that may or may not benefit them. Her side appears to have won.

  2. Incumbent Champaign County Auditor George Danos beat off challenger Alan Anderson 54 to 46% and a referendum to make the position appointed rather than elected 60 to 40%. Danos was late to submit audits of county finances to the state three times in the past (one was late by a year) according to Champaign County Executive Steve Summers (IPM Newsroom). Danos says that there were no repercussions for being late, and the vitriol from the County Executive is because "for the first time you’ve got a serious auditor with credentials and moxie. I’ve stood up to the Board that is dominated by my own party and they resent it." After the election, Danos said, "I was gratified to enjoy the loyalty of rank-and-file Democrats, who also agreed with me on the referenda." (News-Gazette).

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