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January 2009
One Short Year Ago….
While in Colorado in
January of 2008, I broke my jaw in three places. I kept a good
log of what happened and you might find it interesting to go
back and read about a year ago.
January 2008 Kind of
a Blog
Swearing In
I took
the oath of office during the Inauguration of the 96th General
Assembly, Wednesday, January 14, at the Illinois State
Capitol. Appellate Court Justice Mary Jane Theis
administered the oath in the Senate Chambers.
It has always been a
pleasure to serve the people of Illinois. The next general
assembly will likely be a difficult one and we will have to
maneuver Illinois forward.
As you may know, I was
elected to represent the 53rd Senate District in 2003, after
serving in the Illinois House of Representatives from
1993-2003. The 53rd Senate District includes all or parts of
Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, La Salle, Livingston, McLean,
Tazewell, Woodford and Vermillion Counties.
New Road Warrior
Jake is the newest Road Warrior. He is from
Pontiac and recently made his first trip to Springfield with G
and me. Jake is a Truman State University graduate.
Ill. state Sen. Frank Watson will resign
Post-Dispatch Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois
state Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, one of the
Legislature's most prominent downstate voices, will resign
this month to focus on recovering from the stroke he
suffered last fall, he announced Monday.
While no formal list of potential replacements has been
compiled, Watson suggested in an interview that state Rep.
Ron Stephens, R-Highland, should be offered the job.
On The Sam Madonia Show
I was on Springfield
radio with Sam Madonia and his team, Jeff Hofmann and Paul
Pachlhofer. It is the morning show on WFMB 1450. I always
enjoy being on with Sam. Good times!
The Swearing
In and the Impeachment Tribunal
The text comes
from a portion of the ever popular Capitol Fax by Rich Miller
following the day of the Swearing-In and the start of the
Impeachment Tribunal:
CAPITOL FAX
by Rich Miller
THURSDAY, Jan. 15, 2009
IMPEACHMENT
ROUNDUP If the reality of the governor's pending trial and
likely removal wasn't truly "real" to you before, it should've
been much more clear after watching yesterday's events in the
Senate.
The somber spectacle of Senators and the sergeants at arms
escorting House prosecutor David Ellis and several boxes of
evidence into the chamber was surreal. Not a sound could be
heard. It was as if everyone was holding their breath. The
swearing-in of Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald as the
presiding officer for the trial and his swearing-in of
members, who had to answer "I do" one by one during a roll
call, brought a somber tension to the room that no one had
ever seen before.
The governor's appearance was more of a sideshow. As
expected, he behaved himself and stuck pretty closely to the
script. The supreme irony of him introducing people like
Fitzgerald, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and former Gov. Jim Thompson
(whose law firm once represented the governor in the federal
criminal investigation, but eventually parted ways last year)
couldn't possibly go unnoticed.
And the Senate's delivery of the official summons to the
governor's office was one of the most dramatic events ever to
take place under the Statehouse dome. Reporters solemnly
stepped aside and created a path for the sergeants at arms as
they walked to the governor's office and waited patiently to
be allowed inside.
Unlike the House proceedings, where members more openly
addressed the impeachment saga, Senators mostly chose to only
obliquely refer to the pending trial, likely in an attempt to
prove that they were doing their best to remain impartial
judges and jurors.
I was in the Senate, so I missed Rep. Deborah Mell's "No" vote
on impeachment. But members said later that they doubted Mell,
the sister-in-law of Gov. Blagojevich, would be ostracized for
her move. Family is family, and members mostly understand
that. "I could not in good conscience vote for his
impeachment," Mell said via a press release later in the day.
"I regard him as innocent until proven guilty and many of my
constituents have expressed this view."
All in all, the day went off without a single hitch. And that
made it possible to soak in the history of the moment without
the slightest distraction. Kudos to the staffs for a job well
done.
2008 Holiday Party
Team Rutherford had
our holiday party in January. We met at the office before
dinner and had a social time. I think this is a good time to
meet as a group and catch up on things. It also gives me a
chance to visit one on one with team family members who also
attend.
We went to DeLong’s
Family Dining in Pontiac for dinner. We enjoyed a
wonderful meal and great company!
After dinner, my
sister, Debi 'sis' and brother-in-law Fred invited everyone
back to their house. Not everyone was able to come. Kaleb has
the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. For those of you not
familiar with this game, there are instruments and a
microphone and you try to play along with the notes and sing
along with the words as they appear on the television screen.
Everyone took turns
singing or trying their luck at the guitars or drums. It was a
lot of fun. Sis was nice enough to put out some snacks, so we
made it a night.
Bonnie’s Successor
"G"
It is time to
introduce you to Bonnie’s successor: G, my Pontiac G6.
As you know, Bonnie
(my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville) is no longer with us. She moved
to the no passing lane in December with 315,435 miles after an accident. We still mourn and miss her.
One thing I like about
G is her working gas gauge. Bonnie lost that ability later in
life. It is nice knowing how much gas you have instead of
filling up after every trip or running out of gas. It is also
good knowing what radio station you are listening to since the
station indicator also went out on Bonnie.
G has big tires to
fill, but she is trying very hard. G did not like the ice at
all. However, she is doing fine in the snow. Two new features
G has that I am enjoying in this cold weather are the
heated seats and remote start. This January it has sure has
came in handy.
G came to me with 219
miles on her in December. She went in for her first 3,000 mile
oil change January 16.
Recently G made her
first trip to a session of the General Assembly in
Springfield. She is looking forward to being on the road and
visiting the counties of Illinois. I will keep you posted on
G’s adventures.
Soups
and Casseroles
I
like to cook, as well as eat, and enjoy spending some time on
weekends making soups and casseroles. Friends began sending me
recipes when I had my jaw wired shut and have continued to
share recipes with me. I encourage you to look at these
recipes and give them a try.
Here's the recipe for a breakfast casserole
I make:
Breakfast
Casserole
Ingredients
6 Slices bread
1 ˝-2 lbs. sausage
(pre-fried)
2 C. Cheddar cheese –
shredded
9 Eggs (beaten)
3 C. Milk
Preparation
Tear bread, mix
ingredients and pour in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for
aprox. 30-35 min or till eggs are done.
At times I substitute bacon, and
put in green peppers if I have some.
Salt & pepper to taste
Romney Remarks to House Republican
Conference Retreat
Mitt Romney is
continuing to stay active in the political arena since the
Presidential election. Recently he made remarks to the House
Republican Conference Retreat hosted by the Congressional
Institute.
Romney told the House
Republicans that our first concern is not the party, but our
country. Furthermore, he said that these are difficult
economic times and it is important to exercise extreme care
and good judgment.
To read Governor
Romney’s remarks in their entirety, please go to:
Governor Romney's remarks
Picking up G
This is G
as a bright and shiny, new girl the day I picked her up from
the dealer. Pictured with G and me is Jerry, the dealer that
brought her to me.
A great break
Before the holidays our District Office
Team brought in videos and DVDs they had around their house so
others could watch them. We had quite a selection.
I watched Presumed Innocent (aka: Rod), Wag
the Dog (how Clinton-esk?), Cast Away, Golden Compass and the
Di Vinci Code. I had the fireplace going, cooked ribs and
kraut and drank good wine.
I am rested up and am ready to get back in
the swing of Impeachment and Springfield!
Ice Storm and View from my Home
I lost power at my home twice during
the recent ice storm, but it did not cause me any real
problems. On Friday I spent my time at the office and the
electricity was back on by the time I got home. The second
time I stayed warm by building a fire in my fireplace and
my power was back on by 1:30 AM. Despite the fact that the
ice created havoc with the power lines and roads, it
really was pretty on the trees. Here are a few pictures
from around my home.
Rutherford appointed to
Senate impeachment rules committee
PRESS
RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, IL
– The Illinois Senate approved has established the
Special Committee on Impeachment Procedures in order to
direct the possible impeachment trial of Governor Rod
Blagojevich.
State Senator Dan
Rutherford (R-Pontiac) will serve as one of the nine
senators who will establish the rules in the event that
the Illinois Senate is required to conduct a trial. Senate
Resolution comes as a follow up because the Illinois House
of Representatives has already established an
investigative committee to examine if there is sufficient
evidence to begin the impeachment process.
“It has been 175
years since the Illinois Senate conducted an impeachment
trial and it is important that we establish rules that are
both fair and impartial to maintain the integrity of the
process,” Rutherford said. “It has been 11 years since the
last impeachment investigation committee was formed and
was for a Supreme Court Justice.”
Senator Rutherford
is the only current member of the Illinois Senate to have
served on the impeachment investigation committee from
1997. At that time, Rutherford was a member of the
Illinois House of Representatives.
The Senate Special Committee on
Impeachment Procedures has already begun their work to
prepare for the possible trial of Governor Blagojevich.
“The House of Representatives determine if there is enough
evidence to conduct a trial, it will be up to the Senate
to act as the jury and decide on any possible punishment,”
Rutherford concluded. “We will take our responsibility
very seriously in the Senate, if we are called to conduct
the trial.”
My wild life, er --- wildlife
Facebook help from a fellow Sig Tau
Although he was a Sig Tau during a
different decade than I was (He’s younger.), Sean Byrne is
a Sig Tau Gamma fraternity brother of mine. He was the driving
force behind me getting on Facebook and was kind enough to
spend part of an evening helping me get my Facebook page
organized. Thanks for your help, Sean!
Please visit my Facebook page by
going to
www.facebook.com.
Why Impeachment not done this
afternoon
The House has to pass
Articles of Impeachment before there could ever be a trial
in the Senate. In addition, a new General Assembly is
sworn in
January 14, 2009. There is concern of
Constitutional legality if trial was begun in old General
Assembly and carried over to new. If House Impeaches, the
trial will begin January 26. Senate will take the time it
takes to do it right. President Clinton Impeachment took
nine days and he was acquitted.
Dems and Recall
For the Democrats in the Senate that did
not vote for Recall, they should read this very pointed
editorial in the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago Tribune "The Blagojevich 26"
Diary Dates
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