On Pearl Harbor Day We Honor our Fearless Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines
December 7, 1941, will be forever known as ‘The Date That Will Live in Infamy’ in the United States. President Franklin Roosevelt uttered those words in response to the heinous and deliberate attack by the Empire of Japan on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack on an early Sunday morning killed 2,403 U.S. service personnel, including 50 servicemen from Illinois. The attack also injured 1,178 people, and included with the deceased were 68 civilians.
The Japanese strike force was massive and included 353 aircraft launched from four heavy carriers. The fleet included 40 torpedo planes, 103 level bombers, 131 dive-bombers, and 79 fighters. In addition, the Japanese Empire sent two heavy cruisers, 35 submarines, two light cruisers, nine oilers, two battleships, and 11 destroyers. The attacks destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including eight battleships. The battleship USS Arizona remains sunken in Pearl Harbor with its crew onboard, with half of the fatalities at Pearl Harbor being crew members on that ship.
The attacks on Pearl Harbor permanently changed the lives of millions of Americans. Not only was the nation now thrust into the heart of battle in World War II, life in the country would be very different for the next few years. Most household items were being rationed, along with tires, as Japan had become the main rubber-producer of the world. Gasoline was also rationed, along with other supplies, to be sure there was enough supply for the Army and Navy. People were encouraged to stay home and be as economical and frugal as possible. The war ended in August 1945, but not before 416,800 American service members would lose their lives.
“Today we honor all the fearless soldiers as we remember the Pearl Harbor attack that changed the world on Dec. 7th in 1941,” Rep. Miller stated. ” We will never forget the sacrifices made by our patriots to protect our country and our freedoms.”
Most Americans had hoped to avoid direct involvement in World War II, which was raging in Europe since 1939. Pearl Harbor changed everything, with President Roosevelt receiving approval from all but one member of Congress in declaring war on Japan. War was also declared against Germany and Italy three days later. The United States became a full participant in the Allied cause against the Axis powers. Thirty days after the Pearl Harbor attack, 134,000 Americans enlisted in the military.
Among the servicemen from Illinois who perished at Pearl Harbor were Lt. John Dains of Mt. Olive, William Arbuckle of Marshall, Captain Thomas Kirkpatrick, a Navy Chaplain; Edward Clapp of Forsyth, brothers Jason and Bernard Conlin of Decatur, Virgil Rayhel of Walnut Prairie, and Navy Fireman First Class Robert Harr of Dallas City.
Several deceased servicemen previously unable to be identified have in recent years had their remains identified and returned home to be buried in Illinois, including Michael Glajdik of Lockport Township, U.S. Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Keith Tipsword of Effingham County, Herbert Jacobson of Grayslake, and Navy Fireman 1st Class George Price of Dallas City.
U.S. Steel to Idle Granite City Plant – 1,450 Jobs at Risk
Five years ago, in 2018, U.S. Steel re-opened its Granite City Plant after closing it in 2015. President Trump’s promise to revitalize American industry and his tariffs on foreign steel made the plant profitable again. Now, in part due to the UAW strike earlier this year, officials at the steel plant are idling the plant indefinitely according to multiple reports. Up to 1,450 jobs are at risk.
Many consider steelmaking an important element of national security as munitions, planes, tanks, and ships all require steel to build. Illinois is losing this plant while Governor Pritzker is handing out $536 million in tax credits to the Chinese communist company Gotion, which raises many questions. First and foremost, why are taxpayers subsidizing our number one political, economic, and military adversary while letting a good American company essential to our national security shut down?
Read more here: Last Operational Blast Furnace at US Steel’s Plant Is Being Extinguished Indefinitely – Mass Layoffs Possible (msn.com)
An Update:
The United States Supreme Court recently docketed a case out of Naperville, Illinois where the plaintiffs challenged the city’s and state’s gun and magazine ban. The plaintiffs are claiming that the banned firearms and accessories in the Illinois law (enacted January 10, 2023) are in common use for lawful purposes, and the law is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has set a deadline for the state of Illinois to present its arguments and justifications by Wednesday.
Cases challenging the gun ban are also still pending in district and appeals courts.
https://eastcentralreporter.com/stories/652792564-gun-ban-challenge-deadline-approaching
An Additional Concern
The Money that Elected Two Illinois Justices
One of the cases on the docket at the U.S. Supreme Court is the lawsuit filed by State Rep, Dan Caulkins. That lawsuit raises significant ethical issues by the failure of two Illinois supreme court justices to recuse themselves from hearing his case after receiving significant campaign support from defendants in the lawsuit.
Both Justices Rochford and O’Brien directly received one million dollars from Gov. Pritzker for their campaigns. They also received $7.3 million from a PAC called All for Justice run by an ally of Senate President Don Harmon, to which Harmon gave $700,000. That money represented 46% of the total spent in support of their race.
Luke Casson, who is Harmon’s official lawyer for the office of the Senate President, oversaw the All for Justice PAC and then sat at the defense table on behalf of Senate President Harmon during a hearing on the SAFE-T Act.
Harmon led the passage of both the gun ban law and the SAFE-T Act as the Democrat leader in the Senate. Both Gov. Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon were defendants when both laws were challenged and then heard by the Illinois Supreme Court. The conflict of interest is obvious to everyone but the Democrats.
So Caulkins’ lawyer will argue that the failure of Rochford and O’Brien to recuse themselves defies a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2009. That decision said it is a violation of constitutional rights if a judge fails to recuse herself/himself in a case where the judge received significant campaign support from one of the parties.
The money in politics in Illinois at the judicial level is egregious and raises serious concerns about judicial fairness. In 2022, the Democrats pushed big money into the supreme court races, gerrymandered the supreme court districts, and violated campaign finance laws to hide the money that was spent.
Is it any wonder we are ranked as the third most corrupt state in the country by our own university’s research? Get the whole story here: Campaign committee created to smear GOP IL Supreme Court candidates hit with big campaign finance fine | Cook County Record
Democrats Love Government Unions
Illinois is one of the prime examples the Wall Street Journal used in their recent editorial.
A new report by the Commonwealth Foundation reveals how government unions fund politics through direct campaign spending and political action committees (PAC’s). Democrats and their causes receive 95.7% of the cash from the unions’ PAC’s.
Current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson received almost 83% of his campaign funds from unions, and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch got more than $1.25 million in PAC cash during the 2021-22 election cycle- more than any other state legislator in the country. During the fall legislative veto session, Welch also let Illinois’ only publicly funded scholarship program for low-income students die because it was opposed by the unions.
Illinois’ Massive Losing Bet on Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicle (EV) subsidies forced on Illinois taxpayers, gasoline vehicle owners and utility ratepayers may be far higher than we know. The failed federal and Illinois industrial policies are looking more and more unsound every day. The article below lays out the list of EV bad news that has emerged in just the past two weeks.
Bottom line: Democrats tried (yet again) to force a product on us that we didn’t want.
Will The Governor Nuke The Bill?
During the fall veto session, lawmakers passed legislation that has the potential to reshape Illinois’ energy landscape. It allows for the construction of small modular reactors (SMR’s) which are a promising development in the field of nuclear energy. Smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, SMR’s can be built in one location, shipped, commissioned and operated at a separate location.
The question now remains whether or not Governor Pritzker will allow the legislation to go forward. The bill has generated both enthusiasm and concerns.
Illinois Citizens’ Alert!
In an effort to combat public corruption, the Illinois State Police (ISP) has created an online form for reporting criminal misconduct by elected officials and government employees. The form allows for the immediate reporting of incidents such as under-the-table payments or favors in exchange for governmental services. While anonymity is allowed, contact information is required for investigators to gather information about the alleged incidents.
The following link contains the recent ISP press release and the online complaint form:
https://isp.illinois.gov/Media/CompletePressRelease/877
Grab Your Favorite Mug!
You don’t have to throw a party to create a festive hot drink! Whether you’re decorating the Christmas tree, baking cookies or just coming in from the cold, check out these recipes and make yourself a special treat!
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g45123054/hot-drink-recipes/
Here is a map of the new 101st House District. Use this link for a clearer picture and to enter your address to see if you live in the district: https://repcmiller.com/district/
As your state representative, my office is available to assist you with any issues you may have when interacting with a state agency.
Please call our office at 217.508.4108 to get help or schedule an appointment to see me.
The office is located at 1113 Lincoln Ave, Charleston and is open Mon-Fri from 9am- 4 pm.