It Conquered McHenry County

McHenry County has been invaded! According to the McHenryCountyBlog:

What's Independence Day without a parade? Enterprising McHenry County Republicans decided to hold one even the usual blow-out in Crystal Lake was cancelled.
GOP Holds Mini-Parade in Crystal Lake

Does this mean McHenry County has been invaded by the Republican Party? HaHa, of course not, that barn door has been open for years. No, McHenry County has been invaded by outer space aliens.

See the McHenryCountyBlog for the shocking photographic proof:

Space aliens invade McHenry County.

The aliens disguise themselves to blend in with the locals.

But some can see through the alien trickery.

Does ET make you go tee-hee? You're looking at another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision™!

[h/t: McHenryCountyBlog]

The Thin Red Line

Q: Who said ...

"The Village of Barrington Hills celebrates the fact that residents can apply for and build a shooting range on their property, they can even raise animals on their own land."

If you answered

Barrington Hills Mayor Martin McLaughlin

you would be close.

And if you answered

Your LakeCountyEye

you would be closer.

The correct answer is:

CBS Channel 2 News

"The Village of Barrington Hills celebrates the fact that residents can apply for and build a shooting range on their property, they can even raise animals on their own land. But when it comes to providing a home for 25 black and brown boys from Chicago, the man behind the idea says he has been met with resistance and a bit more red tape."
Plan To Bring At-Risk Boys To Barrington Hills Hit With Roadblocks

No secret to readers of this blog, Barrington Hills markets itself as "a community low in legislation and high in property rights" where villagers do as they please:

Barrington Hills is a Community Where Landowners Determine How They Enjoy Their Land
Property Freedoms

Note to Ops: Promises are like babies. Easy to make, hard to deliver. When it comes to local government be sure to get it in black and white!

Are Unicorns Too Hard to Draw?

Q: How many rhinoceroses are left in the world?

The Chicago Tribune Creepy Cartoonist thinks the answer is two:

Stampede

The Creepy Tribune Cartoonist is pretty close. There are about 5,000 black rhinos left in the world.

Maybe the Creepy Tribune Cartoonist lacks the imagination or the industry to come up with a visual metaphor that doesn't demonize a critically endangered species?

For the record, there are 8 billion people on the planet.

Punching down is no way to go through life, son.

Good Old Normal Boy

A LakeCountyEye shoutout goes to honorary Lake County Republican, Darren Bailey. A State Representative from redstate Xenophobia IL downstate Xenia IL, Bailey has a beef in his heart:

I got news for the Governor, even while we were under his Phase 3 plans (gatherings of 10 people or fewer are allowed), southern Illinois has been getting together in larger numbers, WITHOUT his permission. We are frustrated. We don't want a new normal. We want the old normal
Rep. Bailey: “We don’t want a new normal. We want the old normal”

There can be no doubt about it, your LakeCountyEye has dropped some influence on Rep Bailey:

The Old Normal

Operatives are encouraged to join in on the LakeCountyEye fanboy rebel yell:

We are Normal and We Want Our Freedom!


Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

Cough Cough Cough

West Nile Virus is in the news again. But this time like a lady in waiting to a virgin queen:

A mosquito "pool" (batch of mosquitoes) sampled on June 4 in Hawthorn Woods has tested positive for West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus in Lake County

The Lake County mosquito extermination agencies issue this same alert every year, to scare up demand for their mosquito spraying services.

This, however, is the year of the Corona Virus.  The World Health Organization says:

"Spraying or fogging of certain chemicals, such as formaldehyde, chlorine-based agents or quaternary ammonium compounds, is not recommended due to adverse health effects on workers in facilities where these methods have been utilized," WHO reports.
World Health Organization (WHO) Warns Against Hazards of Toxic Disinfectants

Note to Ops: Be sure to wear a face mask when they spray your neighborhood for mosquitoes.

Cook the Books

Where does the time go?  The big election is a few handful of months from now. Your LakeCountyEye of course is referring to the 2021 Consolidated Election.

Some 10,000 elected offices will be up for grabs and petitioning begins in September. Your LakeCountyEye can't think of a better go-to source for practical election advice other than Cook Library Chair, Bonnie Quirke:

• Never enter a race unless you are going to win.
  
  
• You know how you enter a race to win? You are savvy in the people who live in your district.
  
  
• I ran hot pink signs, a great big heart: "I love the library". And those signs went all over. My hand-out was that. It wasn't issue oriented. It was a fact.
  
  
• Double the amount of signatures you need. Or triple them if you are contested.
  
  
• Because your opponents will challenge it and no matter how honest you are, some people will just sign a petition not realizing they're not in your district or they're not registered to vote.
  
  
• Always know who's running, how many people are running against you.
  
  
• Ballot position is very important.
  
  
• Be smart, you don't have to be first. A lot of people will pick a woman who's last down the line.
  
  
• All politics is local.

NIP Bonnie Quirke Library Board 11-4-10

There goes one tough cookie!

The Old Normal

Dan McConchie -- Lake County hands-off State Senator -- is sick and tired of everyone in Illinois being sick and tired. McConchie and 18 other GOP State Senators sent an open letter asking the Governor to lift the pandemic safeguards:

As COVID-19 cases statewide surpass 130,000, Republicans seek faster reopening

Given Illinois's substantial COVID-19 infection and mortality rates, when asked to explain what the Senators want, one spokesman said their demands are simple:


We are normal ...

and we want our freedom.

We Are Normal ...

And We Want Our Freedom!

WE ARE NORMAL ...

AND WE WANT OUR FREEDOM!

WE ARE NORMAL
AND WE WANT OUR FREEDOM

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

All the Tea on China

When the voters finally got fed up with his embarrassing public antics, this Lake County Congressman was shown the door by his sensible Democratic opponent. Your LakeCountyEye refers of course to former Congressman Peter Roskam.

Roskam didn't wait for the door to close on him before leveraging his years of government service into a federal lobbying job:

Yum China Holdings — a Chinese company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that operates KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants in China — has hired Sidley Austin as its first Washington lobbying firm. Former Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and three other Sidley lobbyists will lobby for the company on legislation known as the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, S. 945 (116).
NEW BUSINESS: Yum China Holdings

The legislation would expel companies controlled by the Chinese government from US stock exchanges. Yum China Holdings presumably wants to get the bill killed.

One State Dept official said: "We tried putting tariffs on Chinese junk food, but they retaliated and had General Tso demote Colonel Sanders to a PFC."

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Move along, chop chop.

The McHenry County F-Blog

Note to Ops: This must be serious. There are even protest rallies in McHenry County. And the tireless trackers at the McHenry County Blog are there.

From out of the 100s of surveillance images available, the lede photo on the McHenry County Blog is this one:

Crystal Lake George Floyd Rally

And if you were snoozing (a common hazard experienced by McHenry County Blog readers) there are lots more pictures of that protester to check out:

Make no mistake, competition for Internet Clicks is fierce. And some political blogs will sacrifice honor for riches.

But unlike those other dog-eat-dog blogs, this political blog does not and will never work blue. That's your LakeCountyEye solemn pledge!

The Revolution Will Not Be Legalized

The Village of Barrington Hills announced there will be a protest march this weekend.

HaHa Psych!

Rod Rolled

Rod Blagojevich wants your business. For $75, Blagojevich will create just for you a personalized video:

Cameo -- Rod Blagojevich

Blagojevich (honorary chair of Trump Victory Illinois), sent a personalized video to Lake County State Rep David McSweeney. And McSweeney sued:

An Illinois Republican who plans to retire from the legislature and run for statewide office threatened a lawsuit to take down a personalized video message recorded by former Governor Rod Blagojevich. When state Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) found out that a video of Blagojevich wishing him a happy retirement was making the rounds in statehouse circles in March, he sicced his lawyers after the online celebrity shoutout company Cameo to take it down.
McSweeney mulls lawsuit over 'defamatory' Blagojevich video

Note to Ops: If you want to get on David McSweeney's good side, send him a Rick Astley video greeting instead:

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

You never gonna regret it!

But Who's Counting

An actual unretouched screencap from the Lake County Gazette, Lake County's #1 fakenews source:

Lake County Gazette

Q: What is black and white and red all over?

A: The Lake County Gazette -- if one out of three is all you need.

Fever Snitch

Note to Ops: Hide your stash. Lake County has a narc in the State Legislature.

Unless you are behind the safety of closed doors, you better watch your back. That's because State Rep David McSweeney has been writing down what he sees. One letter penned by McSweeney landed on the desk of the Trump Justice Dept. The NorthWest Herald printed a copy:

McSweeney sends letter to attorney general to investigate Pritzker's 'unconstitutional' stay-at-home order

If true, McSweeney's allegations will bring in the FBI. To arrest the Governor.

Why did David McSweeney drop a dime on the chief executive of the State of Illinois?

Because local businesses cannot operate.

Face it. It's what you crave.

Off the Reservation

It has come to your LakeCountyEye's attention that there will be a Presidential Election this year. Who knew? Not your LakeCountyEye.

Joe Walsh says he will not be voting for Donald Trump. In fact, the Ex-Lake County GOP Congressman says he will be voting for Joe Biden:

Justin Amash can't win -- he can only help Trump get reelected

So, be sure to bring cutlery, when you go to the next Annual Joe Walsh Freedom BBQ. You'll need some to cut through all of the awkward silences:

Note to Ops: And don't forget to wear your masks!

Bumping Ugly

Your LakeCountyEye went to a fight the other night, and a Lakewood Village meeting broke out.

HaHa.

The Village of Lakewood (an honorary Lake County community) picked up some earned media this week:

An alleged fight took place May 4 between Lakewood Village President Phil Stephan and Trustee Bryan Younge, according to a report from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office. According to the report, Stephan "chest-bumped" Younge, something the village president denied doing in an interview with the Northwest Herald.
Fight allegedly broke out between Lakewood village president, trustee

Health officials were quick to send out a reminder that everyone should always observe a minimum 6-foot distance before engaging in social chest bumping.

For the record, the Village of Lakewood is in McHenry County.

Nuff Said!