The hearings have begun. See below.

This is a live blog of the Chicago City Council hearings on the proposed resolution against a US attack on Iran, and calling for real diplomacy.

The proceedings begin with a press conference. At 11:30 central the actual hearings are supposed to begin.

10:41 Alderman Joe Moore, sponsor of the resolution opposed to a US military attack on Iran and urging the US to engage in real diplomacy.

5 years ago the council made history passing a resolution against war in Iraq.

Sadly our leaders did not take heed. Now most observers agree the war was a horrible mistake.

Now more than 4000 dead, tens of thousands wounded, more than a million Iraqis killed or wounded.

History is repeating itself. The Administration is beating the drum of war, despite the Iran NIE.

As in the runup to war in Iraq, basing the threat on unsubstantiated information.

Some would argue that this is not Chicago's business. But it is definitely Chicago's business. It's Chicago's neighborhoods who will suffer.

Chicago will once again lead the nation as a city for peace.

On Tuesday, May 13, the Chicago City Council will hold a hearing, followed by a May 14 vote on a resolution opposing any U.S. attack on Iran.

You can sign this petition supporting the resolution.

As usual, the UK Guardian is covering the story, while the American media ignore it.

This is a repost of a diary I wrote two years agoon the 120th anniversary of the Haymarket bomb that forever altered the American labor movement.

That's what you get in the special on-line issue of In These Times   a magazine

dedicated to informing and analyzing popular movements for social, environmental and economic justice; to providing a forum for discussing the politics that shape our lives; and to producing a magazine that is read by the broadest and most diverse audience possible.

Just to give you the flavor of the jornal, when I renewed my subscription I got a free tee shirt with a cartoon of Kurt Vonnegut saying:

If it weren't for In These Times I'd be a man without a country.

 I still haven't really figured out what that is supposed to mean, but it is a really nice shirt.  Oh, getting back to Hillary for President, you may be wondering why such a journal would be saying anything like that.  Well look below and I'll explain.

Two years ago today, I posted a diary about May Day and the Haymarket bombing. I decided to repost it today in honor of those hung by a corrupt Chicago political and judicial system.

This was the first in the series that included:

May 3rd, 1886 - WORKINGMEN, TO ARMS!!

May 4th, 1886 - The Haymarket Bombing

May 5th, 1886 - Rounding up the Haymarket martyrs

On this date a quarter century ago, Harold Washington made history, getting sworn in as the first African American to lead the city of Chicago.  I have written before about Harold Washington's remarkable journey; today I want to post that link again, as well as links to a few other people's memories of Mayor Washington.

Other diaries last week noted that, as Magorn put it;

.. that  Tony, who once hosted  a BUSH fundraiser at his home,  called in the help of few famous Republicans to try to de-rail the investigation into the corruption for which he's now on trial:

The Chicago Sun-Times.

A prosecutor told the judge in the Tony Rezko corruption trial Wednesday that a witness is prepared to testify about efforts by top Republicans to get the Bush White House to fire U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at a time he was spearheading investigations of Gov. Blagojevich's administration... The key players were Robert Kjellander, a Republican National committeeman from Springfield, and Kjellander's old friend, Karl Rove, who, at the time was a top White House adviser.

And the witness has testified!

From Wikipedia:

May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement.

 It is a shame that this country has separated itself from the bulk of the world's workers by celebrating "Labor Day" in September.  The spirit of today's reactionaries goes back a long way. It is as if the likes of Bush and his cronies are the reincarnation of the bosses of an earlier time. It has been a joy to be working in Europe and to see countries turn out in huge numbers to celebrate the labor holiday on May first.  I am still capable of shock and surprise when people around me do not comprehend my greetings on this very special day.  Since the origins of this day of international celebration are right here, it is worth remembering what went on in this country many years ago when labor was a force to be reckoned with.  Let's look at some important history.

On Friday, April 25, 2008 Rev. Dr., Jeremiah Wright, Jr., former Pastor of Presidential candidate, Barack Obama gave his first televised interview, since snippets of his preaching were thrust into the public domain for nefarious reasons by ABC News and Fox News earlier this year.

Dr. Wright was interviewed on PBS by acclaimed journalist Bill Moyer who is also affiliated with the United Church of Christ by way of his membership at Riverside Church (UCC/American Baptist) in New York City.

The interview was excellent and viewers had the opportunity to search beyond the snippets and sound bites to find the person and purpose of Jeremiah Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ.

Okay, so I'm disappointed that my rather lengthy, detailed diary yesterday adopting Lake county for Obama did not make it to the rec list.  So let me be blunt--we can fret all we want about super-delegates and McCain and Hillary tag-teaming Obama, but Indiana is GROUND ZERO and a win there will be absolutely decisive for Obama.

She wants to wear us down, and it's working.  So let's put away chicken little, and roll our sleeves up and get to work.  Here's what you can do:

*** Rec this diary.

***Phone-bank.

The Obama offices NEED canvassers, so please call today and give them two or three hours of your time Saturday.  Lake county is the second most populous county in Indiana, so let's run up the score!

I don't live in Chicago but I feel for anyone that does since in the last  week alone I have heard about 38 people getting shot which resulted in nine deaths in one weekend, then yesterday about a shooting that killed at nine people and now I just read that five bodies were found in a house.
http://www.cbsnews.com/...

For most people, corruption trial of Antoine "Tony" Rezko represent the culture of corruption that has plagued Chicago and Illinois politics for years, and may be the weight that tips the balance in regional and even presidential politics between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But for me, an Arab American fighting to free Chicago's Arab American community from the headlock of religious extremists and secularly corrupt, it only represents validation that the biggest problem is that the so-called leaders of the Arab American community in Chicago have only been "leading" to benefit themselves, not to empower the "community."

It's obvious Barack's "bitter" comments were an iteration of the What's the Matter with Kansas argument made by fellow UofC product Thomas Frank.

The candidates have tried to mitigate Barack Obama's appeal and their grotesque lack of vision with charges of Elitism; elliptically suggesting he is Sir Aloof Alot or the Black Dukakis. Of course, both of these images are grand wizardry and could not be further from the truth. Frankly, it's outright laughable.

I'm frustrated with the time Cable News gave this issue and how it was framed for the audience.  

As I thought this, I came across a link offering a description of the economic choices the elites were making in the neighborhoods where Barack Obama calls home.

http://cbs2chicago.com/...

I'm probably spending too much time in and around cesspools of lies and pathetic and talentless hacks, but I'm getting really damn tired of seeing the phrase "Chicago politics" used as an attack against Obama.

It's funny how often Clinton supporters say that Obama supporters "need" them and shouldn't burn bridges, and yet they casually label one of the biggest cities in America as politically bankrupt.

Well, as a Chicagoan, it's starting to piss me off.

In the sixties, Chicago was a hotbed of political activity.  There were many groups formed by young people to take on the problems they found in the government at the time.  Much has been written about this time and there were very many participants and players.

The issue of Obama's association with Bill Ayers was brought to the forefront as an "issue".  It is not.  At all.  Young Chicagoans in great numbers were members of these groups like Weather Underground or Abbie Hoffman's Youth International Party.  As these youth aged into competent adults, it is no surprise that Obama, being an active public servant in the Chicago area, would happen upon an association with one of these people during later years.  

I live near both Obama and Ayers.  Ayers is now a member of the mainstream Chicago progressive circle.  He serves on city charities, was an education aide to Mayor Daley, and is a Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois – Chicago.

Yesterday 101 of us competed in Congressional District 9 - (Berkeley and Oakland) for 4 Obama delegate slots to the Democratic National Convention. I think we had more candidates than any district in the state.

The sun was shining on a very warm east bay day as the line to register stretched for a block and a half.  Most of the candidates, like myself, worked the line handing out cheap home made flyers and/or cookies.  The wonderful diversity of our community was reflected in the candidate pool and in the line.  Many rode their bikes or brought their kids along to see democracy in action.  I don't have the official count yet, but my rough estimate is there were close to a thousand people, many there to vote for friends, others just to support Barack. Read about a near death experience below the fold

It's been awhile since a classic Chicago Treasure - so I'm going to pretty much repeat one of my favorites:

GARGOYLES

Let's see if we can figure out where Chicago's Gargoyle population 'hangs out.'