This commentary was written the week of May 14, just before this writer left on a family trip. I knew the odds were high that our unpredictable President would generate headlines outdating almost any subject I might choose to write in advance. So, this week I'm sticking with two brief news items that are local, very timely and actionable.
Last Thursday, I attended a gathering that focused on very real threats in Illinois that could take away women's reproductive rights.
 We heard comments from
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, guest speaker
Sheila Nielsen and Personal PAC President
Terry Cosgrove. The personal anecdotes from each of them brought home how much progress our society (at least in some states) has made in the fight for a woman's right to control her own body. It was shocking to hear how restricted and ultimately dangerous things were not so many years ago. Back alley abortions, an entire ward at Cook County Hospital devoted to women hospitalized after those crude procedures, women traveling to Mexico for help.
And
there are people today who would welcome a return to that nightmare. Mr. Cosgrove mentioned that recently the state of Oklahoma established a law similar to one that, years ago, actually existed in our state. It gives any man who has impregnated a woman the right to stop that women from ending her pregnancy - even if the man is her rapist!
Now, with
President Trump's appointment of anti-choice judge
 Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and the real possibility for at least one more SCOTUS appointment
 by Trump (or
President Pence), the Court's
Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973 could be overturned. Such an outcome could radically affect women in Illinois. It is feared that if Roe v. Wade disappears, Illinois legislation passed in 1975
would trigger rules that would pretty much automatically ban abortions in our state.
Because of this potential threat,
our Illinois Legislators have passed HB40. The bill removes the anti-choice "trigger" language from the 1975 Act, ensuring that women's health care will be protected in our state, regardless of what happens to the Supreme Court. The bill just needs the Governor's signature.
When
Bruce Rauner was running for governor, he filled out a
 lengthy Personal PAC questionnaire. In it the Governor clearly stated that he supported a woman's right to choose and as Governor he would defend that right. But now that he is running for reelection, he appears that he is trying to keep his conservative Republican base happy by declaring he will veto HB40, saying some of its language is too controversial among certain Illinois residents. Governor Rauner is going back on the word he gave to women voters of Illinois that he would defend their rights.
With that background in mind, the message Thursday night was to encourage everyone to
contact Governor Rauner right away, telling him to Sign HB40. His offices are receiving hundreds of call each day. They do not ask for names and addresses but they do keep a tally of each day's calls. They're seeing numbers that the Governor can't ignore. But the pressure must not let up.
So that is today's "to do" list. Don't delay. Contact the Governor and demand that he protect access to reproductive health care for all women in our state.
Call the Governor's office at 312-814-2121 and 217-782-0244 (a call to each office will have double impact). Or,
send him a message via personalpac.org/take-action. Ask Governor Rauner to fulfill the 2014 promise he (and his wife) made to the women of Illinois. Insist he sign HB 40!
The second piece of this week's "timely" commentary is a  networking event tomorrow night. It's been set up by our NTDO Political Action Committee. But it doesn't involve signing up for any specific political action.
It's strictly social. To underscore that point it's being held
at the Wilmette Wine Cellar because wine is a very social beverage.
You'll get together with folks who you may have met on some campaign trail in the past. Or, you'll meet new friends who share your concern about today's issues.
The truth is,
there's never been a stranger political time than the one were experiencing right now, in both Washington D.C. and Springfield. Banding together with friends is an effective way to deal with this insanity. So, stop by the Wilmette Wine Cellar tomorrow night from 6pm to 8pm.
Nels Howard
NTDO member since 1973
Good News! We now have a new NTD Office Manager. Our new office manager is
Joan Fishman. On top of being a very nice person, Joan has impressive administrative experience. As the summer NTD activities progress, many of you will have opportunities to meet her.
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Tomorrow Night!
Thursday, May 25 from 6 to 8 pm
at Wilmette Wine Cellar
1100 Central Avenue, Wilmette
Come join in a Networking event with fellow Democrats
from New Trier -- and far beyond!
If you enjoy meeting new friends, sharing ideas, stimulating conversation -- and drinking good wine...
This is the place to be on May 25.
See you there.
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In June, our State Reps Gabel and Fine and our State Senator Biss will hold two end-of-session town hall meetings.
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If you missed Jan Schakowsky's
UltimateWomen's Power Lunch,
here is a link to a video of the entire event.
To watch parts or all of the lunch presentation
just click here.
(you can fast forward at any time)
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Other upcoming events and news items:
Saturday, May 27 in Highland Park --
Phone Bank for John Ossoff, Georgia Dem Candidate
When:
Saturday, May 27, 2017 from 10:00am until 1:00pm
Where
:
Highland Park Democratic Headquarters - Moraine Township Democrats, 474 Central Ave., Highland Park, IL. Suite 200, 2nd floor above Mizuki Grill. Plenty of free parking in the lot a half-block to the east of the office.
What
:
Help turn Georgia's 6th Congressional District from red to blue on June 20. For more information or to RSVP, contact Tenth Dems at
volunteers@tenthdems.org
or call 847-266-VOTE (8683). Please bring a cell phone and laptop/tablet (if you have).
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Tuesday, May 30 in Highland Park --
Phone Bank for John Ossoff, Georgia Dem Candidate
When:
Saturday, May 27, 2017 from 5:00pm until 8:00pm
Where
:
Highland Park Democratic Headquarters - Moraine Township Democrats, 474 Central Ave., Highland Park, IL. Suite 200, 2nd floor above Mizuki Grill. Plenty of free parking in the lot a half-block to the east of the office.
What
:
Help turn Georgia's 6th Congressional District from red to blue on June 20. For more information or to RSVP, contact Tenth Dems at
volunteers@tenthdems.org
or call 847-266-VOTE (8683). Please bring a cell phone and laptop/tablet (if you have).
Saturday, June 3 in Chicago --
March For Truth
When
: Saturday, June 3, 2017 from 11:00am until 1:00pm
Where
: Daley Plaza, Chicago
What
: Join the March for Truth where citizens will gather to demand more accountability and transparency from their federal, state and local elected officials. A successful democracy requires Truth, transparency, openness and the rule of law. This march will tell our elected officials that we will not tolerate corruption, lies and the abuse of our trust. Foreign interests are undermining our elections. Billions are of dollars are lost to corruption and graft. The incidents of harassment against women and minorities are on the rise but are downplayed by an administration pushing the lies of "alternative facts." March For Truth is sponsored by Indivisible Chicago and Indivisible 123GO. For more information, see their
Facebook page
or the
March For Truth national website
.
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Sunday, June 4 in Chicago --
Chicago Organizer Fair
When
: Sunday, June 4, 2017 from 1:30pm until 4:30 pm
Where
: Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL, 60626
What
: Learn how to be an organizer. The theme of this event is how we build our organizations and how you can too. We'll have a panel discussion by the founders of the various grassroots organizations and will have political directors from various organizations talking about the collaboration between traditional political organizers and grassroots folks. Members of the community will have an opportunity to network and sign-up to volunteer with one of the organizations that match well with the kind of activism they would like to participate in. For more information, please visit
Stand Organized's website
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Friday, June 9 in Chicago --
The People's Summit with Senator Bernie Sanders
 When:
Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11.
Where:
McCormick Place, Chicago
What:
People's Summit 2.0. A gathering of several thousand progressive activists with the theme, "Beyond Resistance: A People's Movement for a Just World." Keynote speaker: Senator Bernie Sanders. The event continues through Sunday, June 11.
For additional information or to register online, visit the People's Summit website.
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Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the summer follow his plan's development on the website.
Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.
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FYI: The NTDO Events Calendar
for the rest of 2017
May 25 -- A NETWORKING EVENT
6 pm-8pm at The Wilmette Wine Cellar
11 Central Ave., Wilmette
All Democrats Welcome!
June 23-24 GLENCOE SIDEWALK SALE
9 am-5 pm Downtown Glencoe
July 14 -15
WINNETKA SIDEWALK SALE
9 am-5 pm Downtown Winnetka
July 17 ANNUAL MEET AND GREET AVLI ESTIATORIO
566 Chestnut, Winnetka, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
July 22 -23 WILMETTE SIDEWALK SALE
9am-5pm Downtown Wilmette
Sept. 10 NTDO ANNUAL MEETING AND PICNIC
Lake View Room and Beach Pavilion 1 pm - 4 pm
Oct. 8 2017 NTDO ANNUAL DINNER
Maggiano's Old Orchard, Skokie, 5 pm-9 pm
Nov. (Date & Place TBA)
"HEAD START FOR 2018" CONFERENCE
All North Shore Democrats Invited
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Your Legislators:
 Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in
Washington, Springfield and Cook County
You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you.
The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start.
Jan Schakowsky
, 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative
and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe.
Brad Schneider
, 10th U.S. Congressional District Representative which includes a number of precincts in Glencoe.
Daniel Biss,
State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.
Robyn Gabel,
IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
Laura Fine
, IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.
Scott Drury
,
IL 58th District State Representative.
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.
Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships.
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| Dear Fellow Democrats, If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates. There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card. By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office: NTDO 800 Oak St., Suite 112 Winnetka, IL 60093 OR By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking here Click on the "Join/Contribute" button
Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly to ActBlue by clicking here.
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Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.
 When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.
Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.
Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township
We are located at 800 Oak Street, Suite 112, in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
Contact: newtrierdemocrats@gmail.com.
*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.
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