Illinois Governor Moves To Ease Tensions Over Hate Crime Commission

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/03/030906illinois.htm

After days of silence, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday that the furor over his hate crimes commission has revealed simmering tensions that he wants to resolve.

"What we need to do here is ask people to cool their passions, reduce their tempers and try to bring people together to find understanding and try to reach common ground," the Democratic governor said during an appearance in Bolingbrook.

Blagojevich said he has begun contacting black, Jewish and gay leaders to see if they will "begin meaningful dialogue."

But that dialogue won't focus on the dispute over Blagojevich's appointment of a Nation of Islam official to serve on the Gov.'s Commission on Hate Crimes and Discrimination, he said.