CHICAGO - January 29, 2013. On behalf of everyone in his home state of Illinois, I congratulate Ray LaHood today for his outstanding service to our nation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Standing alongside President Barack Obama, Secretary LaHood helped lead our nation through one of the most challenging times in history. Throughout his long career of service to the people of our state and nation, Ray LaHood has combined an unmatched ethic of public service with a strong vision to ensure our nation's prosperity in the 21st Century.

As U.S. Secretary of Transportation, LaHood looked to the future. He realized the importance of implementing sustainable practices to strengthen our country's infrastructure, helping the United States remain the best place to do business while making sure families can easily connect with each other across states and regions. He made unprecedented improvements in safety on our roadways, railways, transit systems and in our skies.

During the worst recession since the Depression, he provided remarkable leadership in helping to restore our economy by spearheading the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which invested $48 billion in our transportation system and put people back to work across the United States. Thanks to Ray LaHood, Illinois is a national leader in high speed rail. 

I was proud to stand next to Ray LaHood last October when we inaugurated high speed rail in Illinois and watched the speedometer on that train top 111 miles per hour. Illinois and the nation are picking up speed and heading toward a much brighter future, thanks to the hard work and visionary leadership of our friend Ray LaHood.

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Obama Administration Highlights Importance of Investing in Next Generation of Leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Fields

The difference between "religion" and "cult" can often seem slight.

These days, many are apt to describe believers as one big community of faith, but the fact remains that there are very important differences among various belief systems, says Richard E. Kelly, a self-described "survivor" of Jehovah's Witnesses.

"On the spectrum of faiths, I put the Watchtower Society - Jehovah's Witnesses - closer to the (Charles) Manson Family cult than I do, say, the Lutheran Church," says Kelly, www.richardekelly.com, author of "Growing Up in Mama's Club - A Childhood Perspective of Jehovah's Witnesses" and "The Ghosts from Mama's Club." The books detail his experiences growing up in a Jehovah's Witnesses household, the ensuing family disharmony and how the cultish legacy contributed to his sister's murder.

The following beliefs should be considered cult constructs, he says.

• Certainty that the world will end in one's lifetime: This is a crucial pill to swallow for a subsequent list of cult beliefs, which keep followers in a perpetual state of fear. If only one holds true enough to a strict set of rules - like avoiding pledges of allegiance at school, for example - then they may be spared at Armageddon.

• Social manipulation: For Jehovah's Witnesses who are not observant of all rules, ostracism and shunning is used. How to handle someone who questions policy? Make sure their family ignores them!

• Cripple half of the members (women): For Jehovah's Witnesses, women are seen as creatures trapped somewhere between men and animals in God's hierarchy. No woman can have a position of authority, which means it's men only for preaching, teaching and praying. If there's an official meeting and a woman prays she must cover her head out of respect for the angels who might be there.

• Scorning education: Who needs advanced learning when the world is sure to end in a few short years? Kelly's sister, Marilyn, had very little education, so when she was finally able to leave home, she had few coping skills. She ultimately met an abusive third husband, who later murdered her.

• Sexually repressive: Jehovah's Witnesses are thoroughly indoctrinated in how to harness the power of the sex drive to please God. It's obsessive compulsive when it comes to creating rules about sexual do's and don'ts, from masturbation to the role of women; from conception to sexual pleasure. Sex before marriage is an onerous crime, punishable by shunning and death at Armageddon.

About Richard E. Kelly

Richard E. Kelly grew up as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. At 20, while working at the religion's headquarters, he left the group to live with his wife, Helen, in New York City. Because Kelly's family believed Armageddon was imminent, his education was limited to what was required by law, since there would be no future. However, he went on to earn a bachelor's in accounting, a master's in business and become president of a Michigan manufacturing company. He now enjoys retirement with his family and friends.