One of many squirrel's nests in this tree. It feels really cold tonight.

I checked obama.senate.gov and noticed that it redirects to the main U.S. Senate web page. That didn't take long.

Good news. It has been stored for the ages on Archive.org/obama.senate.gov. It looks like everything is there. So that's good.

Yesterday the 150+ year old Maisenbacher House began it's move from the 1100 block of Seventh Street to Seventh and Jackson Streets in the Lincoln Home area. Today it finishes the move. Although, it won't be set on its new foundation until some time later.

The white house on the right is the Elijah Iles House, which is in its third location, and is open to the public. The "flashlight" in the background is the Hilton Hotel, formerly Forum 30, at Seventh and Adams.

Congratulations on avoiding the wrecking ball. I always love a good house moving. (More photos from yesterday. Somewhat related: They moved Alexander Hamilton's house in New York City earlier this year.)

Update: More photos and a 40 second movie from Stingfield.

Nothing else to say, really.

There will be a Stand Up For Equality Rally on Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 12:30 p.m., in front of the Illinois Supreme Court Building at Second < Capitol, in Springfield. This is part of a nationwide peaceful protest. Signs will be provided but feel free to make or bring your own.

More information can be found here:

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/page/Illinois

I didn't even think of posting this until last night when I saw someone post a message on the Springfield, Illinois, Yahoo Group for a Protect Marriage Rally. So, I tried two different times (one last night, and once today) to post this to the Springfield Group, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. (Without an explanation from the group administrator, I can only guess that the rally doesn't meet the group's "family friendly" standards. Which, if so, is kind of ironic when you consider the unfamily and unfriendly ways people put their children front and center to defeat the recent Proposition 8 campaign in California.)

Edit: There's also a Facebook Page if anyone wants to sign up for this event.

It is my hope, and belief:

• That we will all debate today's issues together and out in the open.
• That the Obama/Biden administration will listen to the people.
• That any major life altering decisions won't be made in the backrooms.
• That the administration recognize that while it is necessary to listen to businesses and the corporations, that in fact the administration works for the people.
• Good luck, and do not hesitate to call me if you need me.

Standing by.

A 106-page feasibility study to be released Wednesday by the Alliance for the Great Lakes says separating the watersheds is the only way to stop the transfer of some invasive species — including the voracious Asian carp that is within 50 miles of Lake Michigan.

From the same article, we learn that it was some environmental minded people who wanted to open it up:

The Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds aren’t connected naturally. Over a century ago engineers linked them through a complex network of manmade canals and natural rivers to reverse the flow of the Chicago River and keep waste from Lake Michigan, which Chicago uses for drinking water.

I can't imagine what something like this would cost or that the state would want to pay it. The legislature hardly wanted to pay for it back then (Remarks in Illinois Legislature Concerning a Bill for Completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal: Sangamo Journal, March 5, 1841; The Illinois State Register, March 12, 1841):

Mr. LINCOLN offered an amendment, allowing the State to pay in Bonds at par for all work hereafter done, and to issue therefor $3,000,000 bonds.

Mr. BISSELL moved to strike out 3 and insert $1,500,000. Mr. LINCOLN accepted the amendment.

Messrs. Lincoln and Dodge supported the bill and Mr. Ormsbee and Kitchell opposed it.

Mr. KITCHELL was surprised at the course of the gentleman from Sangamon (Mr. Lincoln). We were already prostrated by debt, and that gentleman thought it would be for the interest of the State to go still deeper. Mr. K. said it reminded him of an anecdote, which he would relate. A drunkard in Arkansas took so much of the cretur, that he lost his reason and remained for some time in a state of insensibility. His wife tried every experiment to cure him; but it was of no avail, until a neighbor came to the house and recommended some brandy toddy. The insensible man rose at the word toddy, and said "that is the stuff." It was so with the gentleman from Sangamon---more debt would be for the better.

The gentleman from Sangamon, obviously a liberal, convinced otherwise:

Mr. LINCOLN replied. He begged leave to tell an anecdote. The gentleman's course the past winter reminded him of an eccentric old bachelor who lived in the Hoosier State. Like the gentleman from Montgomery, he was very famous for seeing big bugaboos in every thing. He lived with an older brother, and one day he went out hunting. His brother heard him firing back of the field, and went out to see what was the matter. He found him loading and firing as fast as possible in the top of a tree.

Not being able to discover any thing in the tree, he asked him what he was firing at. He replied a squirrel---and kept on firing. His brother believing there was some humbug about the matter, examined his person, and found on one of his eye lashes a big louse crawling about. It is so with the gentleman from Montgomery. He imagined he could see squirrels every day, when they were nothing but lice.

[The House was convulsed with laughter.]

And so we are back to square one: Closing off the Great Lakes. I suppose in another 150 years they'll want to open it up again.

Edit: I fiddled around with the headline too much and ended up not quite as coherent as I wanted. I guess louse should be lice, but I'm leaving it.

In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if everyone would quit it with the canned talking points. In particular, stop saying "just vote in new legislators, etc." The way the system is set up, that is just not possible. Case in point:

Well, let’s see how Illinois did on electing better people and starting on the path to ending dysfunctional, gridlocked state government.

All 118 seats in the House were up for election. In 59 of those districts, only one candidate was on the ballot. With one exception, they were all incumbents. Kind of hard to make a change when your choice is between one and none.

That leaves an actual election going on in 59 House districts. Want to guess how many incumbents were defeated? Two. There will be a few other new faces in the House, because some incumbents chose to retire rather than run again. But voters retired only two.

It’s even better in the Senate. There are 59 senators, but they serve staggered terms so only 40 seats were up this year. Only half of those were contested, in that more than one candidate was running. (And that includes the district where the candidates were a Democrat and a Green, which you may or may not think is a real contest.)

The result? Not a single incumbent lost. Zero.

So much for changing things through elections. (Statehouse Insider: The insiders win again.)

Some more Con-Con post-mortem:

• SJ-R editorial shaming the anti-Con-Conners: Con-con foes have nothing to brag about
• Yellow Dog Democrat questions ballot placement of the question: Con-Con: Location, Location, Location
• Capitol Fax Blog: Referenda, schmeferenda
• Capitol Fax Blog Question: Should Con-Con supporters sue or just walk away?

Until next time, if we want changes made, we can always write letters and email to our State Reps and Senators and they'll respond accordingly. *snort*