Happy National Illinois Day!

Travel 1 Minute

An important date for one of the best states in the country is here — and you might not even know about it.

National Illinois Day, on Dec. 7, commemorates the history, art and culture owed to the iconic Midwest state. Here’s some information – both vital to know and amusing to share – about the state so you can think about what Illinois means to you.

Here are some facts about Illinois history and iconic culture:

In 1818, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state in the Union.

An 1874 state law forbade segregation and the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 1885 banned discrimination in public areas.

Four former-U.S. presidents have roots in Illinois: Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois; Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant both moved to Illinois; and Barack Obama lived in Chicago for most of his life and served as an Illinois senator.

The origin of the term of Chicago as the “Windy City” is disputed by scholars, but it has been used to describe bloviating politicians, in addition to the weather. Interestingly, Chicago does not even rank in the top 10 of The Weather Station Experts’ list of the windiest U.S. cities – Amarillo, Texas, comes in first.

The Illinois state flower is a violet. The state bird is the cardinal. You probably didn’t know that the Illinois state snack is popcorn, and that the state pet is shelter dogs and shelter cats.

O’Hare International Airport consistently ranks in the top five, if not first, in lists of the busiest airports in the world.  

Native American history

Hunter-gatherers from various nations first came to Illinois around 12,000 years ago, according to History.com. Illinois is named after the French settlers’ pronunciation of the Illiniwek Nation which was initially comprised of 12 smaller nations including the Cahokia, Peoria and Kaskaskia Nations.

The state of Illinois rests on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Peankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations. When Illinois became the 21st state in December of 1818, Native nations still legally owned a large portion of the state’s territory, according to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Published by pat frederick

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97 thoughts on “Happy National Illinois Day!”

    1. Good morning, Pat! 24 & cloudy here this morning w/some ice on the front porch. It will be gone tomorrow w/a predicted high of 41 & 52 on Tuesday! Hope you’re feeling better!

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      1. Morning Filly!
        I woke up twice last night…not sure why the first time, but the second time i hit the vicks container and it hit the floor and rolled away in the door towards the door. it woke hubby and i got down on my hands and knees to find it so he wouldn’t trip on it going to the bathroom. luckily he turned on the light and i could find it before he stumbled over ME! lol
        still lingering. hopefully it will be gone soon.

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        1. ROFL – oh, I’ve had nights/mornings like that! Don’t they absolutely SUCK!?!!? At least it sounds like there is some improvement – I’m sure it won’t be long now before you’re back to normal.

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  5. Charlotte99

    December 7, 2025 12:58 am

    A Somali activist in the U.S. made a provocative comments about political influence and demographic change, including remarks about President Trump.

    In the clip, he says, “He already witnessed our partial takeover… He is how we measure our progress… He may not witness our full takeover, but I promise you his sons will.”

    https://nitter.poast.org/Osint613/status/1997365774709858416#m

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  6. Charlotte99
    December 7, 2025 7:36 am

    A man from Somalia came to America, started a nonprofit and opened a “multimillion dollar migrant care service agency”

    He’s getting over $5 million per year from American taxpayers, being given no-bid contracts from Maine Governor Janet Mills, and is building a military in Somalia

    He has been funneling money back to Somalia to build a military in Somalia “The guy is running a migrant services agency that bills MaineCare, which is what we call Medicaid, about $5 million a year”

    “He said he raised money in the US to buy weapons, munitions, and supplies for paramilitary force he had hoped to lead as the president of Jubaland.

    Yes, that is a real state in Somalia — and to be clear, in Somalia, he’s running to be the warlord of Jubaland.

    Elections in Jubaland aren’t exactly like elections in, America, it’s whoever has the most guns is able to certify the election.

    So he needed to buy a paramilitary organization and paramilitary support in order to win that election.”

    – Abdullahi Ali’s Background came to Maine founded Gateway Community Services (a migrant services nonprofit)

    – Gateway Community Services received millions in taxpayer-funded MaineCare payments and no-bid contracts from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ administration; former employees allege systematic fraudulent billing, over-billing by nearly $1 million in earlier audits

    – Governor Janet Mills created the Office of New Americans, whose sole employee (from Sudan) is a former Gateway Community Services staffer The fraud, kick backs and money laundering by Democrats is just mind blowing

    https://nitter.poast.org/WallStreetApes/status/1997637222112076179#m

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  7. Charlotte99
    December 7, 2025 7:37 am

    Columbus Ohio resident explains Somalian fraud operations happening in her city and welfare scams

    – She says the Muslim Somalian men have multiple wives

    – The men own a business like a market, then the wives sign up for EBT cards and spend only at their husbands store

    – She says their also do this with home aid companies, they hire only Somalians and run a completely fraudulent business but it only has to look right on paper

    – 80% of the government assisted housing in Columbus is occupied by Somalians

    – The Somalians all seem to have new cars

    – The Muslim Somalian women walking around have designer purses with EBT cards, and “they have Apple iPhones stuck up in their hijabs”

    This can lead to MASSIVE fraud as

    – Muslim Polygamous marriages can be hidden to claim extra benefits

    – Their stores can exchange EBT benefits for cash

    – If fraudulently obtained benefits are cycled through the store to conceal illicit funds (e.g., converting government money into “legitimate” business profits or other uses, this is money laundering

    https://nitter.poast.org/WallStreetApes/status/1997560955220459804#m

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  8. “The Death of Globalism”

    Clandestine, Dec 06, 2025

    “I think I see Trump’s vision. He is settling all the wars around the globe and cleaning up the messes created by past US Deep State administrations, then consolidating US interests to the Western Hemisphere. This is the death of Globalism.

    Trump is undoing the past 100+ years of bad US foreign policy, and returning us to our former glory, before we were compromised by the Deep State.

    The days of the Deep State using the US to feed the military industrial complex are over. The days of CIA meddling and regime-change operations around the globe are over. The days of global US intervention are over. The days of US politicians being bought and controlled by foreign interests are over.

    Trump will cede US influence/presence in regions like Europe (NATO), Middle East, Ukraine, Taiwan, etc., and the respective powers will assume responsibility of their own regions. We will stay out of their regions, and they stay out of our regions. WW3 is cancelled.

    Once the world is back in a stable position, and rogue Deep State elements are no longer a threat to the People of the globe (think Iran nukes), then Trump and the US moving forward will focus on the Western Hemisphere. Trump and the US MIL will stop the cartels, drug trafficking, and human trafficking crises, that are plaguing the Western hemisphere.

    Trump is not just saving the US, he is completely reshaping the global order and saving the world.”

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  9. Just The News: “Country star John Rich released his new song “The Righteous Hunter” as a call to action against child exploitation and online predators targeting American kids. 

    Speaking to Just the News about the massive problem youths face, Rich said, “There’s not enough law enforcement in the world to combat the level of problem that we’re facing in this country with child predators and traffickers. This is a song written from the parents’ perspective. I’m actually talking directly to the predator in the song, like if you think you want to come get my kid, you’re going to have to deal with me and that’s not going to go well for you.”

    Inspired by Sean “Diddy” Combs’ disturbing claim that he “owns your kids’ souls,” Rich drew from his collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, which reported over 36 million instances of children being targeted online in a single year, to craft lyrics that empower parents to fight back with unyielding resolve. 

    The accompanying music video starkly recreates real trafficking scenarios using rescued children as actors, transitioning to themes of redemption and warning predators with lines like “Better give your soul to Jesus while I get my gun,” urging widespread sharing to raise awareness.

    In 2023, reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation in the United States surged to over 36 million, a nearly twentyfold increase from 2.1 million in 2020, according to data highlighted in Department of Defense analyses of National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports.

    “Almost 2,000 child victims identified or rescued in 2024“

    In Fiscal Year 2024, the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified or rescued 1,783 child victims through child exploitation investigations focused on online abuse. That same year, HSI supported 6,939 new child exploitation investigations and arrested 4,959 individuals for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

    The exploitation of minors has been a flashpoint issue this year with the ongoing quest for transparency surrounding the release of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. Epstein, a convicted sex offender who ran a large-scale sex-trafficking operation targeting underage girls, died in jail in 2019. President Donald Trump promised the files’ release on the campaign trail and signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law on November 19, compelling the justice department to release all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation within 30 days.

    “Duty of Care” issue the sticking point

    On Capitol Hill, the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), reintroduced in May 2025 by Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is advancing through negotiations despite tensions over the House’s narrower version that omits a key “duty of care” provision to hold platforms accountable for harms like sexual exploitation and addictive features. 

    Meanwhile, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), reintroduced in March 2025 by Senators Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., seeks to update privacy rules by banning targeted advertising to minors and minimizing data collection to shield children from online exploitation.

    Musician Rich partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect campaign to raise awareness about online child exploitation. In April 2025, Rich hosted a livestream event on X featuring DHS Special Agent Dennis Fetting and Secretary Kristi Noem, designed to educate parents and sixth-grade-appropriate children on recognizing and preventing sexual extortion and other digital threats.

    Rich was one half of the duo Big & Rich, whose debut album “Horse of a Different Color” (2004), a blend of rap, bluegrass and country music often called “gangstagrass.” It went triple-platinum and spawned hits like “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” which became a cultural phenomenon. Now a solo artist and prolific songwriter, he has earned multiple No. 1 hits (including Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” and Faith Hill’s “Mississippi Girl“), won CMA (Country Music Awards) and ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards.

    He has produced albums for artists like Gretchen Wilson and Jason Aldean, and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2024.”

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  10. Just The News: “Three months after Decarlos Brown Jr. was charged with the first-degree murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte light rail, another suspect has been charged with attempted first-degree murder on the same transit system.

    Oscar Solarzano, 33, allegedly stabbed a male victim Friday night who was found “where the train appeared to have stopped between stations” but is now in stable condition, Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC reported.

    He is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.

    Newsweek confirmed President Trump’s Truth Social post that called Solarzano an “illegal migrant,” obtaining a Mecklenburg District Court document that says Solarzano is here illegally and has been previously deported.”

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          2. Besides, I almost never travel any way that I am not in total control of my movements….I don’t like to depend on other people. I don’t like being stuck somewhere I do NOT want to be!

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  11. Just The News: “The U.S. threatened to withdraw from some NATO defense coordination mechanisms if Europe doesn’t take over the body by 2027, Reuters reported, citing “five sources familiar with the discussion” including one U.S. official, who said the message had alarmed some on Capitol Hill.

    The message was “conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations,” with Pentagon officials saying they weren’t “satisfied with the strides Europe has made to boost its defense capabilities since Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” Reuters said.

    It’s not clear if the message represents the Trump administration as a whole or just some Pentagon officials, but if Washington is serious, however it defines leading NATO, Europe cannot meet a 2027 deadline because it “needs more than money and political will to replace certain U.S. capabilities in the short term,” Reuters paraphrased several unnamed European officials.

    A NATO official didn’t comment on the reported 2027 deadline but simply said European allies “have recognized the need to invest more in defense and shift the burden on conventional defense” from the U.S. to Europe. 

    The Pentagon and the White House didn’t answer requests for comment immediately, according to Reuters, which published the story around 2 a.m. Eastern.”

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  12. “How is that even remotely possible? When she came in to office she wasn’t worth a plug nickel. Ilhan Omar’s primary income as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is an annual salary of $174,000. 

    However, recent financial disclosures for the reporting year 2024 (filed in May 2025) have reported her and her husband’s combined household net worth as ranging between $6 million and $30 million. This significant increase in reported wealth (a 3,500% surge since the end of 2023) is primarily attributed to her husband, Tim Mynett’s (a white guy?), business ventures, which include a venture capital firm and a winery. Omar’s husband was accused last summer of swindling an investor in their California winery.”

    “President Trump on Saturday celebrated a star-studded lineup of the nation’s most “acclaimed and renowned” performers as he gave out newly-minted medals to this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees in the Oval Office. Dressed in a tuxedo, he awarded gold medallions to Academy Award-nominated “Rocky” actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, members of the rock band KISS, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, British actor Michael Crawford, and country music legend George Strait. Gloria Gaynor? Really?”

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  15. The launch of the first McDonald’s franchise (1955)

    Everything is in movement

    Mornin’ Yogi. How’s the wife and kids?

    Suspended above the void

    Oooo, the pretty colors

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  20. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115678452939414622

    “Can you imagine??? The Democrats, under the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, who always use extreme force and jail-time to destroy their political opponent, wanted to put Congressman Henry Cuellar, and his wife, Imelda, in PRISON, for 15 years, which I predicted these Radical Left Lunatics would do

    – And they never stopped wanting to fulfill this evil quest! The Dems mercilessly went after Henry with everything they had! They were looking to destroy him, his lovely wife, his two young daughters, and anyone close to them. When the Democrats overwhelmingly lost the 2024 Presidential Election, and power with it, they, regardless, did everything they could to keep going after the Cuellar family. The Dems were vicious, and all because Henry strongly wanted, correctly, BORDER SECURITY!

    He was against illegals pouring into our Country, totally unchecked and unvetted. The Congressman didn’t want gang members, drug dealers, violent prisoners, people from mental institutions and yes, even murderers, in the good ol’ USA.

    It was all very unfair what they were doing to him and his family, so much so that his daughters wrote me a beautiful letter about their parents (Just posted on TRUTH!). After reading it I decided, in the interest of justice, and based on the daughter’s loving request, that I would give Henry and Imelda a Full and Complete Pardon.

    I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very good about fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people

    – They were treated sooo BADLY! I signed the papers, and said to people in the Oval Office that I just did a very good, perhaps life saving, thing. God was very happy with me that day! THEN IT HAPPENED!!! Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be “running” for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison

    – And probably still do! Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”

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  21. “Purges, Collapse Inside CIA, and the Path to National Recovery — Part II”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Dec 06, 2025

    EXCERPT: “The aftermath of January 6th must be understood in tandem with the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the federal vaccine mandates. Together, they formed the operational center of a three-tiered purge aimed at the heart of the American national security workforce.

    Revolutions require crisis. They cannot sustain themselves solely on theory. A strategic choice must be made about where that crisis will be centered. If the battlefield is domestic, foreign crises must be controlled or terminated quickly. From this perspective, the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan takes on an additional dimension. Clearing the deck internationally created space for the domestic crisis narrative around January 6 to dominate. It is plausible that the decision to accept a disastrous withdrawal was seen as an acceptable cost if it allowed the administration and its ideological allies to focus fully on remaking the internal machinery of the state.

    Barely a week after Afghanistan fell, vaccine mandates were announced for the entire federal workforce. From the first moment, it was clear to many inside the system that this was not primarily about public health. It was about obedience, identification, and removal. Those who refused to comply were disproportionately religious, constitutionally minded, conservative in outlook, or simply unwilling to submit to coerced medical intervention. In other words, they were the precise cohort that revolutionary ideologues view as an obstacle.

    What followed across the federal government was a coordinated pattern. Agencies created religious accommodation processes that were adversarial by design. Internal systems were engineered to route almost every request toward denial. In some cases, the process itself kept changing to trap employees into non-compliance that could be framed as insubordination. Compliance numbers were falsified. Lists of non-compliant personnel were compiled. Unvaccinated officers were labeled as insider threats, a term previously used for spies, saboteurs, or those posing physical security risks. In some cases, armed officers were informed that their firearms could be taken or their positions altered based on their refusal.

    Crude calculations made inside multiple agencies suggested that the administration was prepared to terminate a staggering proportion of the national security workforce. While public reporting put the number of separated service members in the thousands, internal estimates and anecdotal evidence suggest the actual impact may have been orders of magnitude greater, including forced retirements, coerced resignations, career-destroying notations, and informal blacklists. The intent appears to have been nothing less than the ideological purification of the federal apparatus under the cover of a health emergency…..”

    https://genflynn.substack.com/p/purges-collapse-inside-cia-and-the

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  25. New word for the day: OVERVAXXER

    Words matter: So let’s reach consensus on a concise definition of overvaxxer to include in a dictionary, and then work get it into the lexicon of everyday Americans.

    Overvaxxer Derangement Syndrome (ODS); ODS pronunciation: /ō′dē-əs/

    Extra points for those that understand the meaning of “double entendre.” Double extra points for those that understand why this is relevant.”

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  26. “Sunday Strip: Overvaxxer Derangement Syndrome (ODS)Narrative shift complete”

    Dr. Robert W. Malone, Dec 07, 2025

    “The European Commission fined Elon Musk’s X Platform €120 million ($140 million) on December 5, 2025, for not following transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

    The main complaints were:

    • Deceptive Blue Checkmarks: X’s policy of selling blue verification badges for $8/month (via X Premium) without rigorous identity checks. This accounted for €45 million of the fine. It is important that the EU track each and every user for non-PC speech
    • Inadequate Advertising Repository: X failed to maintain a transparent database of ads, including details on payers, targeting, and content.
    • Restricted Data Access for Researchers: X did not provide adequate access to public platform data, hindering studies on content moderation, algorithms, and systemic risks.

    The DSA claims this penalty is relatively modest, signaling an initial warning – but plans to fine billions more if X is non-compliant.”

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  34. OK, this is really weird!!!

    🐉 A Woman Who Sees Dragons Instead of People

    A 52-year-old woman in the Netherlands has prosopometamorphopsia — a rare neurological disorder that makes every human face appear as… dragons. Not metaphors. Literal dragon-headed humans… Or elves…

    Life must feel like living inside Skyrim with medical insurance…

    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2961690-1/fulltext

    ⚠️ That Underwater Cave Warning Sign? It Means “Turn Back or Die.”

    Jacob’s Well, Austin — home to one of the most dangerous underwater caves in the world. The notorious sign? It basically translates to: “Treasure ahead — if you hate living.”

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    1. so the black guy KNEW the white guy would call him a racist slur and stabbed him before hand?
      with powers like that, why ain’t the black guy a millionaire, guessing all the powerball numbers?
      TOTALLY INSANE!

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  38. Huh….my old stompin’ grounds!!! Lived and worked in that area for a number of years.

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