CAIR-Chicago, CIOGC are asking the Illinois Muslim community and all Illinois citizens to thank IL Senator Dick Durbin for taking a bold and uncompromising stance supporting the core principles of this country. Yesterday, Senator Durbin issued a statement in support of Park51, the proposed mosque in lower Manhattan. Durbin said that politicians like Palin and Gingrich who are opposed to the mosque are trying to divide the country with fear and hate.

On Oct. 17, President George Bush signed the Military Commission Act of 2006 (H.R. 6166) into law, stating "This bill provides legal protections that ensure our military and intelligence personnel will not have to fear lawsuits filed by terrorists simply for doing their jobs.

I would like to thank the editorial staff of the Chicago Tribune for including the story about Najaf and Mosul with the coverage of President Bush’s latest Iraq speech (“A tale of 2 scarred cities: Najaf and Mosul,” Dec. 8).

It is funny to see how the people who criticize President Bush for being a big government conservative would at the same time applaud his efforts to expand the government’s investigative and enforcement powers to curtail civil liberties under the guise of national security (“Safety vs. liberty: How far should we go?” Nov. 20).