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SAFR - Second Amendment Freedom Rally - Fri. July 9th


Molly B.

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Second Amendment Freedom Rally



James R. Thompson Center

100 W. Randolph St.

Chicago, IL 60601

Date: Friday, July 9, 2010

Time: 11:00am—1:00pm

 

Join the grassroots movement that is sweeping the state of Illinois—



A movement to restore the Second Amendment right of law abiding

citizens to keep and bear arms!

Do not miss this historical event!

Sponsored by Illinois State Rifle Association and IllinoisCarry.com

 

Please support this event by downloading fliers and posting them everywhere.

SAFR Flyer 09-Final_03-1.pdf

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As co-sponsors of SAFR, we are counting on IllinoisCarry members and friends



to contribute toward the expense of conducting an event such as this. As a celebreation of

McDonald vs Chicago it will be even more important to take our message

into the city and let the good citizens of Chicago they do not stand alone!! We are

with them and they can help us win the statewide battle for Right to Carry!!



Can we count on you?

Help us to meet our urgent goal of $1,600!

(If you would like to avoid the electronic fees and would prefer to send a check - please PM Molly B.)

 

 

post-195-127956090803.jpg

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Just as every year, it's time to encourage our non-Chicago folks to attend, by offering a couple of suggestions about how to get to the rally without pulling up to the curb on Clark Street.

 

If you're along the St. Louis-Springfield-Bloomington Amtrak corridor, you might find it easy to use that. These, and most, Amtrak trains terminate at Chicago Union Station, about an eight-block walk to the rally. The schedule is favorable, with the caveat that freight train interference could tie things up somewhat.

This run gets you to Union at 10am, by leaving St. Louis at 4:30am, Springfield at 6:30, and Bloomington at 7:30.

We use this line to attend IGOLD every year going the other way. Fares tend to run about $35 round trip from Springfield, but the online pricing program adjusts fares upwards as the travel day nears.

 

From Champaign, you might be able to get a coach seat on the City of New Orleans at 6:10am if it's on time, grab a nice breakfast in the dining car, and get to Union by 9:00am. Returning trains are at 4:00pm and 8:00pm, the latter being the southbound City again, with the diner. The Cajun/Creole food is really good.

That same run starts at Carbondale at 3:15am- yow, that's even early for us. But it might be more relaxing than herding the pickup all that way.

 

From Quincy-Galesburg, there's a run arriving at Union at 10:40am, kind of tight but works okay. The return options are kind of later and two of them are long-distance expresses not stopping in every station along the way.

 

All of this is at Amtrak.com, click Timetables, Illinois/Missouri Service.

 

Now, if you're driving most of the way, I'm going to recommend as a lifelong Chicagoan you avoid driving those last twenty-five miles downtown. You won't like it, unless you're coming in at five in the morning. Besides, there's just no reasonable parking nearby and let's face it, some of our less-urban cousins just plain don't care to battle deep-city traffic with all that pushing and shoving and so forth.

 

So, if you're heading in and jump off the Interstate and grab one of the many public transit train options, you'll find yourself laughing your way in (comparatively).

There are two main choices, Chicago Transit Authority rapid-transit ("L") trains, and Metra commuter trains.

 

From the north, you could get off the Edens (I-94) at Dempster Street, go a few blocks east and get the Chicago Transit Authority ("CTA") "Yellow Line" and then "Red Line" trains into the city. Parking is to the north of the station and the fare itself, all across the CTA system, is about $2.25 if I recall right. I don't always remember because I keep one of those transit cards on me and don't see the exact number. Bring small money because the system doesn't like cash.

 

From the northwest, say, Rockford, your best bet is to leave the Kennedy Expressway (I-90) at Cumberland, take the south exit but go straight across Cumberland and use the big four-story enclosed parking garage- nice, if the weather's not- and ride in on the "Blue Line", the line that goes from O'Hare Airport and takes you to within an easy .30-30 shot of the rally site by getting off at Clark and Lake. It's about 35 minutes of travel time and the trains run frequently, about ten minutes' headway at these times of day.

 

From the south, the Ryan Expressway "Red Line" terminal at 95th Street wouldn't be a choice I'd make, no parking and too close to where all those "gun violence" statistics get racked up.

Consider going to University Park near Monee and riding the Metra Electric service the rest of the way. It's pretty easy getting off I-57 at Exit 335 and hooking around into the giant commuter parking lot about two and a half miles to the northeast. The Electrics take you to Randolph Street/Millennium Park station, only a few blocks due east of the rally. You can see the Bean on the way back, too.

 

The South Shore Line trains from South Bend, Michigan City, and Gary end there, too, but our Hoosier friends may not be in attendance, I wouldn't think.

 

Any of the Metra diesel lines are also excellent choices, whether from Joliet (Rock Island Service), Elburn/Geneva (UP West), ), Sleepy Hollow/Elgin (Milwaukee West District), Harvard/Woodstock (UP Northwest), Antioch (North Central) or Waukegan (UP North).

They're all visible at www.metrarail.com and they are cheap, fast, clean, and safe. One of the best commuter systems in the country. You'll spend less on train fare than parking downtown, by a lot.

 

I would be happy to offer any other guidance needed. We'd sure like to have our Downstate friends joining us there, across the street from Chicago City Hall. It's been a very pleasant time in years past and well, if you like eating in interesting restaurants, it's one of the best areas for that in the country.

 

Bill

Want to see my switch key?

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Any of the Metra diesel lines are also excellent choices, whether from Joliet (Rock Island Service), Elburn/Geneva (UP West), ), Sleepy Hollow/Elgin (Milwaukee West District), Harvard/Woodstock (UP Northwest), Antioch (North Central) or Waukegan (UP North).

 

They're all visible at www.metrarail.com and they are cheap, fast, clean, and safe. One of the best commuter systems in the country. You'll spend less on train fare than parking downtown, by a lot.

 

If you're coming from the west the Burlington Northern Metra line is also a good choice as would be the Union Pacifc West line. There are parking lots near most of the stations although some do fill up early.

 

The Metra Rail site above is a great source of info. If you can grab an express train you can make it within walking distance of SAFR in 30-40 minutes. In the middle of the day {going back home} the trains run about once an hour.

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Anyone want to join me in flooding the Libune and Scum-Times with e-mails on how they should cover SAFR this year? We got ignored the last 2 years and you would think that after the McDonald decision comes out this would be top news.

 

Lets not forget to invite our friend, Mick Dumke. I'll have to find out his email but he's a regular at the "chicagoreader".

 

I'm not sure how many bridges I have at the Sun Times or the Tribune, but I'll be sending some emails.

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Anyone want to join me in flooding the Libune and Scum-Times with e-mails on how they should cover SAFR this year? We got ignored the last 2 years and you would think that after the McDonald decision comes out this would be top news.

 

Lets not forget to invite our friend, Mick Dumke. I'll have to find out his email but he's a regular at the "chicagoreader".

 

I'm not sure how many bridges I have at the Sun Times or the Tribune, but I'll be sending some emails.

 

 

Here is the general e-mail for the reader: mail@chicagoreader.com

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If you are using I-80 exit at route 30 (New Lenox) and drive 1 mile to the Metra station on the left side.

 

Have they expanded that lot at all? It used to fill up early. I'd make sure to know how to get to another station just in case.

 

That lot is usually full, but they opened a new station in New Lenox a few years ago. It seems to be barely used as there are no more than 20-30 cars in the lot there when I go by.

It's on the SouthWest Service line and goes to Union Station

http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map/sws/station.LARAWAY.html

 

Dave

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CH-7 news had a story about several street closures in the downtown area starting July 9th for the filming of Transformers. Probably won't affect SAFR but 7 said they will announce the specific streets and days in the next week or so because they are not final yet.

I would also remind everyone coming from the south that it is NASCAR race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Traffic in the Joliet/I80-I55 area could be a bit heavy.

 

Dave

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This ought to go back up, but our friend the Second City Cop blog put a nice mention in for SAFR:

http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2010/07/safr-rally-09-july.html

Since SCC is probably the most closely-read blog in the Chicago area for journos, even ones who despise it, this will carry some weight.

Of course, the City powers monitor it pretty closely, too. Hope they enjoy seeing themselves mentioned!

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