Here’s Bill Donohue from the Catholic League on Sen. Martin Sandoval
Senator Sandoval, a Catholic, voted in favor of gay marriage yesterday. Although that puts him at odds with the Church’s teachings, it is certainly something he is entitled to do. What he is not entitled to do is to mock the Catholic Church.
(A former Seminarian) Sandoval said he experienced alcoholism and homosexuality, and “even met men that were pedophiles.” But none were guilty of any wrongdoing. Indeed, it was through “no fault of their own” that they descended to such …

Annabel Melongo made the mistake of crossing Anita Alvarez in 2006, in a case that brought together a full rogues gallery of Chicago Politicians, including Jan Schakwosky and security specialist/State Senator, Donne Trotter

Some background

Former SALF employee-turned-whistleblower Annabel Melongo was jailed last April because she uploaded recordings of a couple of benign phone conversations to her website. She was charged with eavesdropping and assigned a $500,000 bond, later reduced to $300,000 — an unusually high bond for an eavesdropping charge.   
 
Before her troubles began, Melongo worked for Robert Half International, one of the world’s …

From the Sidebar
An Illinois judge ruled last week that the state’s eavesdropping law – one of the broadest restrictions on audio recording in the nation – is unconstitutional.
The decision granted a request for dismissal made by Annabel K. Melongo, a 39-year old woman who faced criminal charges under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act. The controversial law criminalizes the audio recording of any communication without the consent of all parties involved, regardless of whether the conversation was intended to be private. Melongo, who is representing herself in court, recorded three phone calls …

From the Sidebar
Last week I reported about a scorching letter IL Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) recently sent to Attorney General Lisa Madigan about the status of her reported investigation of the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF).

 
Here’s what Bivins wanted to know:

Undoubtedly you agree that we have a duty to assure the public that the millions in public and private dollars SALF obtained weren’t misappropriated.
His sentiments were echoed by Gery Chico, Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, in this recent newspaper report:
“Where’s our money going?” Bivins said. “Where’s our tax dollars …

From The Sidebar (H/T Steve Bartin)
In e-mails last year, US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin’s press secretary Christina Mulka provided a variety of false information about her boss’s relationship with the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF), the embattled Chicago-area nonprofit under investigation by the Illinois Attorney General and apparently by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Perhaps most seriously, she failed to disclose a 1999 request by Sen. Durbin for a $1 million appropriation to SALF, funding that went through the following year.
From Senator Durbin’s Press Secretary
Senator Durbin’s involvement was limited to …

From the Chicago Sun Times
Former Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico’s appointment as chairman of the state Board of Education hit a snag Wednesday amid GOP questions over his ties to a now-defunct non-profit organization.
Based on issues raised by a Texas blogger, Senate Republicans put the brakes on Quinn’s appointment, asking that Chico personally appear before a Senate panel to explain his relationship with Save A Life Foundation, a charity that is undergoing a probe within Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office
How about Jan Schakowsky (even after Chuck Goudy let the cat …

A voice from inside Chicago’s Cook County Jail claims that the Save A Life Foundation (SALF) story implicates both Democrat and Republican pols in Illinois.

The American Thinker reported last July 26 that the now-defunct Chicago suburb-based “charity” failed to report to the Illinois Attorney General’s office over $850,000 in grants received from Illinois and U.S. federal agencies. Earlier that month, I suggested elsewhere that a former SALF employee is jailed in Cook County for what she knows more than for what she’s alleged to have done.
Former SALF employee-turned-whistleblower Annabel Melongo …

This is about what happens when governments, both state and federal, pump money into a politically connected enterprise with little accountability on both ends. If you’re an Illinois taxpayer, be advised: Reading this may raise your blood pressure.

On June 9, 2010, the American Thinker reviewed how the now-defunct Chicago suburb-based Save A Life Foundation (SALF) was founded under false pretenses, promoted by Chicago and national news outlets, and supported by some big politicians — mostly from Illinois. AT also noted how SALF, with bipartisan political backing, tapped into several money …

Recently, Big Government told of a proposed fiscal year 2009 federal budget earmark intended for the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF), a Chicago-area nonprofit that went belly-up late last year. The article questioned why IL Democrat Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who introduced the appropriation, wanted to fund SALF years after the charity was the subject of a string of media exposes, including four hard-hitting ABC7 Chicago I-Team reports.

Rep. Schakowsky eventually cancelled her earmark for SALF, perhaps in response to scrutiny last January from a conservative blogger, Doug Ross. She wouldn’t answer his questions then, and, according to Big Government, …

Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer, Arne Duncan, received his second sponsorship award from the Save A Life Foundation (SALF). The award is but a small token in recognition of Duncan’s faithful support over the years and modest display of SALF’s deep appreciation of Mr. Duncan’s commitment to saving lives.
Duncan was moved by SALF’s efforts to train 67,000 schoolchildren under his command stating, “I really appreciate the skills SALF is teaching the students Of Chicago.” Duncan holds SALF’s Founder and CEO, Carol Spizzirri in the highest regard,