Archive for May, 2007

Wogen Watch

Author: yinn

May 25

Northern Star and Daily Chronicle articles regarding Victor Wogen and his supporters’ pre-election smear mailer against opponent Steve Kapitan have been collected at Wogen Watch: A Watchdog for DeKalb, Illinois’ Third Ward, a blog of unknown origin established last weekend.

Let’s give this anonymous citizen more material, shall we? The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, May 29, at 7 p.m. Third Warders et al were sensitive to the occasion of the swearing-in earlier this month–and particularly to Vic Wogen’s daughters–but the urgency to get the disapproval into the public record has not waned. If you have something to say about Wogen in particular, or about honesty and trust in government generally, please fill out a comment card and take your place during the public comments portion of the meeting.

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Filed under: Community Resources, Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns

Scahill Talks Blackwater in DeKalb

Author: yinn

May 25

Jeremy Scahill visited DeKalb and Jo Daviess County last week to talk about his book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Video News Service put together a short video for YouTube, Blackwater Invades Illinois, of Scahill’s hourlong talks at these venues, the Jo Daviess turnout estimated at 120-150 people. Blackwater recently opened controversial paramilitary training camp Blackwater North near Mt. Carroll, probably in violation of zoning laws there.

Highlights from Scahill’s talk in DeKalb, which I attended:

  • Formed in 1996, Blackwater found traction for growth in a series of tragedies starting with the Columbine massacre.
  • The idea for the first Blackwater base, in North Carolina, was sold as a hunting lodge concept.
  • Blackwater is not the largest of the security firms, just the most elite. They got that reputation in part by keeping alive the most hated man in post-war Iraq, Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
  • “Contractor” casualties in Iraq–deeply secret so this is just an estimate–run to at least 770 dead and over 7,000 wounded.
  • More than 300 of the 435 registered voters of tiny Potrero, CA, are fighting a similar installation called Blackwater West near their community, which lies southeast of San Diego.
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    Filed under: Community Resources, Mercenaries, National/International

    Wogen on the Radio Again

    Author: yinn

    May 17

    Go here to listen to Victor Wogen continue to craft his post office tale in an interview originally airing Monday. I also hear he’s calling the Third Ward petition organizers his “partners.” Bleagh.

    Good news. The Third Warders have found a way to enter the petition into the City record. It’s as simple as participating in the public comment section of the City Council meeting. In fact, anyone who has written a letter to the editor or just still has an issue with Mr. Wogen’s installment on the City Council is urged to write out a couple of sentences about it to recite at a Council meeting in coming weeks. City Hall documentation will show that we aren’t willing to put up with dishonesty in local government. This ain’t dead yet.

    Also, if you live in the city and somehow missed signing the petition, the online version is still up at Citizens for Wogen Resignation.

    Lastly, if anyone tried to recruit you to run against Steve Kapitan in the Third, I’d like to talk to you. Especially if the circumstances seemed weird. Please e-mail me at yinn422@yahoo.com.

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    Filed under: Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns

    Blackwater Does Exactly as it Pleases

    Author: treesfieldssky

    May 12

    [Admin/Editor's note: To find out whether anything good could come out of Blackwater North's establishment in Jo Daviess county, CityBarbs investigator treesfieldssky talked to residents in North Carolina who live near Blackwater USA's facility in that state.]

    The neighbors are not allowed onto the Blackwater property. One resident said her mother, over 80, accidentally drove up to the gate. They made her get out of the car and searched the vehicle. Even Mennonites aren’t trusted by this large and powerful military firm. It was also reported that a local Mennonite carpet cleaner got lost, drove up to Blackwater’s gate. He said they drew guns on him and screamed profanity.

    It appears that Blackwater USA is not the “good neighbors” they claim to be nor are they good citizens. According to sources who want to remain anonymous and who live in the vicinity of Blackwater USA’s headquarters in North Carolina, “They [Blackwater] don’t take “no” for an answer.” Read the rest of this entry

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    Filed under: Mercenaries, National/International

    Rove’s Poison Infects DeKalb

    Author: treesfieldssky

    May 12

    It appears that we have True Believers of Karl Rove in the area around DeKalb. The actions involing Victor Wogen and his puppeteers is right from Karl Rove’s playbook and in keeping with the methods used many places by the hard-nosed conservative Republicans who will go to any lengths to push their extreme right-wing agenda forward. This time DeKalb’s local politics took the hit, which is the greatest loss of all. Voters of the Third Ward feel their rights have been abused regardless of who they voted for in the election. As well they should; their Constitutional rights were mugged and they feel like any victim of an attack would feel.

    Since all of the known players behind this fiasco are from outside DeKalb, and since no one with the shadow group–Citizens for a Better Third Ward–has come forward we can probably be assured that there is no one of the Third Ward in the group, and some not even from our city. It’s certainly true of Jon Zahm. Zahm lives in Maple Park and is the founder and chairman of the Kane County Conservative Coalition since July of 2002.

    Then there’s Kirkland resident Joe Wiegand’s long standing ties ties to such conservative right-wing Republicans as Chris Lauzen, Oberweiss, and Alan Keyes, formerly of Massachusettes. Read the rest of this entry

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    Filed under: General Happenings, Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns

    Wogen Monday Game Plan

    Author: yinn

    May 11

    Several Third Warders are meeting with Victor Wogen tonight to discuss his intentions as concerns his constituency. They would also like to ensure that Mr. Wogen will accept the petition calling for his resignation in a dignified and gracious manner before he takes his seat Monday evening.

    Inauguration will take place during a special meeting at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers, with the regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Citizens for Wogen Resignation will begin to arrive about 5:45 p.m.

    I now know more about Victor Wogen than I do some of my own family members. I know how things played out at the post office with the smear mailers, I know that even his friends call him “Slick Vic” and I know the reason he won’t resign is that a couple of his anonymous backers are heavy hitters in local construction and real estate circles.

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    Filed under: Community Resources, Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns

    Get Your Asparagus

    Author: yinn

    May 4

    The June 7 opening of the DeKalb Farmers’ Market isn’t soon enough for Milt Westlake of Norway Farms. That’s because the asparagus is ready now. Mr. Westlake will be trucking freshly cut asparagus to DeKalb every Thursday in May to G & L Auto Repair at 1310 S. 4th St. (across from Sullivan’s grocery) and offer it for sale from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or until he runs out). Sometimes he has other produce, too, such as onions and new potatoes. Good stuff.

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    Filed under: Community Resources

    Wogen Insults Us

    Author: yinn

    May 4

    < rant on >

    Victor Wogen’s interview on WLBK insulted our intelligence and was chauvinistic to boot. First he says he delayed setting the record “straight” (as if that really happened this morning) to allow us hysterical petition-driving womenfolk to “calm down a little.” He still doesn’t admit that he knew exactly what was in the smear mailer. “The wife” has been stressed out but things will be peachy from now on. He thinks we should put our energies into fixing up Steve Kapitan’s house instead of crow-barring his butt out of that aldermanic seat. He will not resign, no matter the noise in support of it, unless he dies or is incarcerated.

    I need a shower.

    See, what he doesn’t get is that he will now always be associated with lying. He could be an actual, suffering, misunderstood SAINT but people like me who can’t stand being lied to will always perceive slime. He will be the most ineffective alderman ever. That is a crying shame for the Third Ward and for the city. He doesn’t get that he should resign for the good of the city.

    Most of all, he doesn’t get that his interview made listeners like me committed to redoubling efforts to unseat him.

    < rant off >

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    Filed under: Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns

    Man Who Wrote the Book on Blackwater to Visit DeKalb

    Author: yinn

    May 4

    Jeremy Scahill, author of New York Times Bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army (Nation Books, 2007) will give a presentation and be available for book signing Tuesday, May 15, at 3:00 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 158 North Fourth Street.

    Blackwater USA, founded in 1996 in North Carolina , is the largest private military base in the world and has recently opened a facility in Jo Daviess County. There, a coalition of local citizens and area peace groups are challenging Blackwater on grounds that they have violated zoning laws. Its attempt to buy land in San Diego County is being challenged by a coalition of environmentalists, local citizens and U.S. Representative Bob Filner. Read the rest of this entry

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    Filed under: Community Resources, General Happenings

    Wogen on the Radio Friday

    Author: yinn

    May 2

    Victor Wogen is scheduled for an interview on WLBK, 1360 on your AM dial this Friday at 9 a.m. They take listener questions (and feedback?) only via e-mail, so go here for contact info and be sure to share the love come Friday morn.

    (If the Wogen scandal is new to you, previous posts here and here can help get you up to speed.)

    Wogen Resign Button
    Get a button like this for about a buck (depending on size) from John Q. DeKalb at Cafe Press. Or you can get one of my homemade “Wogen Resign” badge pins on Saturday (see article immediately below), which look a little less snazzy (OK–a lot less snazzy) than this one but are free.

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    Filed under: Community Resources, General Happenings, Local Campaigns, Political Campaigns
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