Happy 21st Birthday RURAL, a personal reflection

Twenty-one years ago, my life took a little jog in the road.I haven't been the same since. My daughter Jenny was only 8; my son Chris was 7.I'm a grandmother now. I have found peace in retirement, in the State ofArkansas where my husband John and I moved almost five years ago. But as muchas my life has changed, the steadfast resolve that grew out of that day remainsunyielding.

Aug. 2, 1988 was the day RURAL (Residents United to RetainAgricultural Land) was born. That was the official day, yet the real change hadtaken place weeks earlier — in the spring — when John and I attended ourfirst airport meeting. John was so angry he rarely attended another one. I onthe other hand can't count the number of meetings I have attended over theyears. John's anger turned into pure hatred. Mine started that way too but wastempered, unbeknownst to me at the time, by a strong desire to mother amovement.

John was incensed when state consultants Marjorie and SuhailalChalabi, who are still with the project painting a rosy picture of asuccessful airport with thousands of jobs and thousands of passengers eager toshun Chicago airports just to fly out of Peotone, argued that planes would notmake noise in the future. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on AldoDeAngelis, the late state senator, the beloved Italian who charmed everyonearound him, as long as you agreed with him. I didn't.

There were 13 of us at that first meeting, who were allappalled at what we had heard. We stood in the parking lot at the BeecherCommunity Hall where we held our own little 'after the meeting' meeting. Ilater learned these were necessary to de-program us after such a meeting wherethere was always a purposeful assault to our intelligence. I suggested we passour phone numbers around. Brenda Thunhurst whipped out a tablet and pen wherewe all signed names and numbers. She typed it up at work and sent it to all of us.I wonder where that piece of paper is now? I had all that information onanother computer — one that is no longer compatible with today's systems. Ifonly technology hadn't moved so quickly, I could just search my computer forit. Hah, if transportation technology had advanced at a similar rate we'd betaking bullet trains. Or if Illinois politics would have matured past its historicalpay to play mentality, eastern Will County would be a very different placetoday.

RURAL guiding principles, formed during those early days ofthe opposition to build a new airpor never wavered. Still in tact, they were transferredto STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down). The overlying fact is that ifsomething already exists — airports in Gary on the east, Milwaukee on thenorth, Rockford on the west, and Kankakee on the south — why build a new one? Ifa farm economy is working and contributing to the region, why destroy it for anairport that could turn out like the state's white elephant Mid-America atMascoutah? To be fair, we didn't know about Mid-America then. But once welearned about it, what a great poster child it turned out to be for what not todo.

The Peotone airport project has seen countless promotersover the years, all state-sponsored, paid by tax dollars, who have come andgone. They have taken as much from the taxpayers as they could get before they movedon, probably for more steady work or bigger paychecks. They have never lookedback at the chaos they helped create or the people, property, community, andmore that they have destroyed.

Even the project has changed. It has changed boundaries, sizeand focus. The state is searching for a winnable solution and so far, has notfound one. I doubt it ever will. I have said for 21 years that an airport willnot be built. I'd like to stand by that statement. But I can't. I have learnedthat all things are possible when the equation includes greed, power,corruption, dishonesty, and lack of responsibility, integrity, and morality. Thereis money and power to be amassed, so they continue.

Not only was RURAL life-changing in itself, but it also sparkedmy career. On Sept. 2, 1988, after never writing any more than letters to theeditor, I achieved my first byline on a story published in Kankakee's DailyJournal. I was a correspondent until 1997 when I went to work full time there.That was when I convinced George Ochsenfeld to take over RURAL. I entrusted himwith something I considered very special, but I had been a volunteer longenough. My kids were getting older. Money was an issue, so I voluntarily gaveup RURAL to work as a journalist. My association with the Journal continued fortwo years. In '99 I went to work for Russell Publications, the weekly paperthat covers several towns. Because of Russell's stance against the airport, I wasmore able to write about what I knew about the project without having to kowtowto the multitude of official press releases that touted unsubstantiated claims aboutthe project. I continued to report the facts.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was walkthat fine line. But to the best of my ability I never compromised my integrityas a journalist based on my personal feelings. I did however; inject facts Iknew into stories. Over time, reporters went to other papers or other jobs andthe real meat of the airport story became lost in all those press releases witha few quotes thrown in from our side. The knowledge of past events that shapedtoday's happenings had all been lost. At that point, I became an advocacyjournalist, reporting from a historical perspective.

Laid off now, I continue to write on-line and in this andother blogs. I still consult with George and STAND. And I have a lot of timefor reflection. Perhaps one day I will announce a new book in this very blog.