As I sat watching C-Span 11:00 PM on Palm Sunday evening, it hit me. What a wonderful and loving country we are blessed to live in! Think about it. With the war on terror, Iran and North Korea building offensive nuclear weapons, famine, civil wars and every other problem that our government has to deal with; on top of the fact that Congress was supposed to be out for Easter break, here they were. The most powerful government ever on the face of the earth was brought back from all points of the compass, even the President of the United States cut short his Easter break. For what? The life of a single person! Think of that. It is amazing. One person out of two hundred and fifty million and the congress is in session on palm Sunday until after midnight to vote to give this woman a federal hearing.

Could you imagine the Roman Senate or the British Parliament or the Soviet Politburo stopping everything for one regular citizen? No. This is not some former politician or Rock Star. It is not one of the Upper crust rich families from the east coast or a Movie Star, she is a normal everyday person. She and her family are just one of thousands that are going through the kind of medical state she is in. Why is this important? Because this is America, this shows the difference between rights coming from government and rights coming from the creator.

So there they were, the whole government in place on a Sunday night. Everything seemingly turned on it's head, Democrats touting states rights and Republicans hoping for a federal court to step in and overrule a state court. Whatever happens it has to warm the hearts of every American. One citizen's life is worth the attention of the whole system. Wow. As we sat watching we knew this was history unfolding right in front of our eyes and we were in awe. This is the way it was meant to be, what the founding fathers had to hope it would be like.

You know the people around the world will not "get it" right away. I don't know they will ever understand what they are seeing, but it is exactly what we want the people of the world to see. There is hope for the world because the United States is the leader of the world, and one person's life matters. One persons life is important enough for all branches of our government to drop what they are doing and make this decision. The world might not understand , but I did and for that I am thankful. God Bless the United States of America

The Republicans have fielded the best contestants for the governorship in a generation, but what is needed, at least one contender says, is a Council of Trent. When Republicans refer to Trent, they don't mean replaying the Roman Catholic doctrinal conclave of the mid-16th century. It's a session when grass-roots leaders get together and settle on a candidate, as they did in 1996 when they picked Al Salvi for the Senate and went out to beat the establishment's better-financed choice, Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra. Yes, Salvi lost to Dick Durbin, but Trent '96 was the tipping point where Reagan conservatives discovered they could win the party over the Thompson-Edgar-Ryan cult of hollow correctness.

Now, no less than U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, a bright moderate, told me in Washington last week that he wants a Trent armed also with a professionally designed opinion poll. He'd help pay for the poll and will accept the verdict. GOP state chairman Andy McKenna says it's too early for either Trent or a poll -- but LaHood believes the longer the pre-primary skirmish runs, the more money will be wasted over intramural battling. Odds are that after the legislative session, conservatives will schedule a Trent sans poll and anoint a favorite. Until then, here is one man's view of how things look.

Start off with accordion-playing state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, the pro-choice, pro-gay rights heiress to the Thompson-Edgar-Ryan legacy. My friend Bruce DuMont says that as state chairman she added zip to the party (I agree, though not the way he meant it). She's very nearly a household name, although far from a stateswoman. For instance, Topinka refuses to transfer special funds for a Democratic governor, which she approved for Edgar and Ryan. In doing so she is superseding the decision by the General Assembly, which approved those transfers in the fiscal 2005 budget with supermajorities in both chambers. Also, despite the views of the attorney general and state comptroller, who agreed it was proper under the aegis of the State Finance Act. The question is: What's her alternative? We don't hear that from her and are not likely to unless she decides to run (which she very well may not), remarking to a friend of mine: "I don't have enough money to run right now. And if I do and get elected, what will I find? A state without money.''

Good point. Don't count Topinka out, but don't count on her to run. She can't win at Trent, but in a crowded primary, yes.

LaHood is a superb candidate: tough, brainy, a veteran congressman who could be a tremendous governor. He has a knack for making enemies, which is why he didn't get the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee after Porter Goss left. But he has the damn-the-odds, full-speed-ahead flair I like to see in a governor. He'd tame the Legislature -- wow, would he! He hasn't much money, though. Odds are he'll stay in the House.

Jim Oberweis, the ice cream titan and multimillionaire investment analyst is the grassroots' sentimental favorite. They think he was cheated out of a Senate bid to succeed Jack Ryan after he placed second in the primary. Listen, the GOP establishment did him a favor. No matter. Wherever he goes, he gets conservative high-fives. If he gets the immigration issue right, he's tough to beat for the nod. He's better at analyzing the economy than politics.

Drat: I've run out of space. The other contenders soon.

“If the Governor is serious about changing the system, then we would hope he would act now -- rather than later,” said Andy McKenna, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. “The Governor has the power to show that he means what he says, and that is why we would like him to lead by example.”

Over the past two years, it’s been well documented that headlines are one thing with this governor, while action is another. And while details on the Governor’s new proposal have yet to be seen, the State GOP is calling on the Governor to take immediate action by doing the following:

· Give back any and all donations from those who have received a state job or contract in exchange for that donation;

· Refuse to accept campaign contributions by those holding a contract with the State; and

· Reopen for bid all contracts given to campaign contributors.

Since taking office, the Governor has allowed his time and energy to be directed at raising campaign money in order to enhance his own political image. Also, with each passing day, Illinoisans are informed of his administration awarding campaign contributors with State jobs and contracts. This “pay to play” mentality must come to an end.

”If the governor is actually serious about fixing the way business is done in our State, rather than paying the problem lip service, then we would hope he would be willing to take the first step. After all, that is what leadership is all about,” said McKenna.

==>Jesus Christ