A Bunch of White Walsh

Like many a banty rooster unceremoniously expelled from the chickencoop, Lake County's Ex-Congressman Joe Walsh has landed on his feet. Walsh, whose career has arced from thinktank advisor to venture capitalist to US Congressman, is now a diskjockey on WIND AM 560.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, Walsh posted on his website his own I Have a Dream speech -- one that looks more like an Internet top ten list:

I have a dream that all black parents will have the right to choose where their kids attend school. I have a dream that all black boys and girls will grow up with a father. I have a dream that young black men will stop shooting other young black men. I have a dream that all young black men will say "no" to gangs and to drugs. I have a dream that all black young people will graduate from high school. I have a dream that young black men won’t become fathers until after they’re married and they have a job. I have a dream that young unmarried black women will say "no" to young black men who want to have sex. I have a dream that today’s black leadership will quit blaming racism and "the system" for what ails black America. I have a dream that black America will take responsibility for improving their own lives. I have a dream that one day black America will cease their dependency on the government plantation, which has enslaved them to lives of poverty, and instead depend on themselves, their families, their churches, and their communities.

My Own Dream for America

Walsh seems to have developed a keen interest in African-American bloodlines.  When he was a Congressman, Walsh himself had a reputation for being a deadbeat dad. Operatives are asked to make up their own jokes here.

Walsh is now telling the Daily Herald that that he may throw his hat in the ring again, and run for US Senate in 2014:

The McHenry Tea Party favorite says he's keeping his options open, but the only race he named Thursday was U.S. Senate. "It's probably the race that I'm most seriously considering," Walsh said, adding he'll decide within a month.
Walsh weighing a bid for Durbin's U.S. Senate seat

If it does happen, it won't be necessary to watch the TV debates between Walsh and Senator Durbin. Just assume Walsh will answer every question with a noun, a verb, and Impeach Obamacare.

Your LakeCountyEye recalls a famous National Lampoon cover, from back in the day:

If You Don't Buy This Magazine
We'll Kill This Dog

Your LakeCountyEye suspects that Walsh may be sending a copycat signal to the Illinois Republican Party establishment:

If You Don't Buy Ads On My Radio Show, I Will Run For The US Senate!

You Say Petition, I Say Apparition

Is it almost September already in Lake County?  Then, keep an eye out for neatly combed and freshly scrubbed faces, clutching new fountain pens and immaculate white notepads, and happily but deliberately advancing through your neighborhood en route to their appointed commission.  If your LakeCountyEye conjures an image of the little shavers on their way to elementary school -- close but no cigar.  September, of course, is when poorly paid campaign interns are going door to door to get your signature on their nominating petitions.

For anyone so desirous as to see their name on the March 2014 ballot, the first day to circulate your nominating petition is September 3rd -- next Tuesday.  Your LakeCountyEye has already contracted to gather signatures for one ballot hopeful:

Sharpeyed operatives will have already observed line #13 of this petitioner's instructions:

13. Signatures need to be in ink.
No pencil, crayon, marker, or invisible ink allowed.

When it comes to campaigning -- and, in particular, when tasking marginally employable interns -- it is always better to err on the side of caution.  The minute that you, the campaign manager, thinks it is silly to specifically forbid invisible ink, then -- BAM -- in will come walking a volunteer with a petition signed in invisible ink.  Take it from your LakeCountyEye, leave nothing to the imagination; you won't be sorry.

This is not to say that the old invisible ink trick hasn't already been tried. Back in the day, your LakeCountyEye recalls, one candidate delivered for certification, a thick stack of empty petition sheets. And naturally, this candidate was challenged. At the hearing, the candidate swore that his petitioners used invisible ink by mistake. His opponent objected, on the ground that petitions must be signed in blue or black ink. The candidate had anticipated the objection and responded that his petitioners had used invisible blue or black ink. Needless to say the election panel ruled in the candidate's favor and allowed the petitions. True story, although the ruling was reversed when it was appealed to a real court.

iFramed: The Case Review Panel

At the axis of Michael Nerheim's successful 2012 campaign was a promise to create a case review panel. Four months after he was elected Lake County State's Attorney, Nerheim selected the first five cases to send to his case review panel.  Four of the cases were felonies. One case, the Chicago Tribune reported, was Vince Testa's.

The only misdemeanor case is that of Vince Testa, who was convicted of battery and resisting arrest after a January 2010 confrontation with police at his home outside Libertyville in which he was shocked with a Taser on video camera. The footage shows the altercation that followed Lake County sheriff's officers' attempts to serve an arrest warrant on Testa's son.

The Chicago Tribune article had two significant observations. The first observation was that none of the cases that Nerheim selected involved DNA evidence. The implication was that without DNA evidence, none of the cases were likely to be overturned.

The Chicago Tribune also observed that along with three murders and a sexual assault, Nerheim chose to review Vince Testa's misdemeanor conviction for resisting arrest.

Why?

One reason is that on December 3, 2012, Testa petitioned Nerheim to review his case.

As I posted on this blog, in iFramed, there is compelling video evidence to believe that Testa was, to use an old fashioned term, railroaded by the Lake County justice system. The video evidence to this effect is available on Testa's website, which is also called iFramed.

If Michael Nerheim ever visited the website, or watched the video, he would have realized that Vince Testa was someone who, at the very least, believed he was innocent, and had taken a lot of time and effort to prove that to others. Testa wrote in his letter to Nerheim,

One of the main reasons we made the documentary was because we had a story we wanted to share with our fellow citizens in Lake County. We wanted our pain and frustration to serve as a warning to others so that they might protect themselves from what we have experienced. [...] Through telling our story we have been contacted by others who have had similar pain and grief, to varying degrees. Their reputations have been ruined, their spirits broken, their faith in our country shattered.

Despite only being a misdemeanor case, Testa's would have had the potential to be another high-profile embarrassment for the office of the Lake County States Attorney, and would probably need to be dealt with quickly.

There is no question in my mind why Nerheim selected Testa's misdemeanor conviction as the fifth case to send to his review panel.

Cross the Rubicon

Ever since WLS broke the news, Lake County has been all cattywampus:

One of the state's Republican leaders is leaving his current post with a higher office apparently in mind. Tom Cross is stepping down as leader of the Republicans in the Illinois House.
Tom Cross stepping down as Ill. House GOP Leader

Without a leader to lead them, will the Illinois House Republicans now be like a Mundelein freerange chicken with it's head cut off? Not a pleasant thought.

As readers of this blog are presciently aware ...

Silky Sullivan

It's no secret that Mundelein Republican legislator Ed Sullivan Jr, has been openly coveting the post. At least, someone has been dropping rumors to that extent into the MSM. Just don't ask your LakeCountyEye who.

Everything else being equal, the job is Sullivan's for the taking. By your LakeCountyEye's count, the House Republican Caucus has a super-minority of 7 members. Which means Sullivan needs 4 votes to become the next House Republican leader. Realistically speaking, Sullivan can count on his own vote -- so he actually only needs 3 other legislators to vote for him. There must be at least 3 other Republican legislators in the burbs who would give him their vote.  Like a David McSweeney or somebody.  If Sullivan isn't able to round up a crumby three more votes, he might just not be ready to be the next House Republican leader.  Just Sayin!

Haha, j/k. Everybody is now saying the next House Republican leader will be some guy your LakeCountyEye never heard of, named Jim Durkin. The end.

iFramed

On the night of January 19, 2010, Lake County Sheriff Deputies forced their way into the suburban Libertyville home of Vince Testa. A Deputy shot Testa in the back with a Taser, in front of his wife. Testa was bound, taken from his home, and arrested.

Prior to the event, Testa had no criminal record. The Lake County Sheriff's Deputies were at Testa's house to arrest his son for a minor charge, one that was later dismissed. But Testa was charged that night with resisting arrest. The reason? The Sheriff's Deputies would not produce a search warrant for Testa's son, so he refused them entry into his home.

I am not making any of this up.

Testa's unbelievable story is documented on his website, called iFramed. In Vince Testa's own words,

iFramed is the story of police brutality and a road to discovery of the injustices in our legal system, particularly in Lake County, Illinois.

Testa's ordeal, which began almost four years ago, has not ended yet.  It is chronicled in a 75 minute video -- and worth the investment of your time.

Whether or not deserved, Lake County's justice system has a reputation of being as incompetent as it is insular. I believe it is an accurate description and I see little sign that this will be changing any time soon.  The justice system in Lake County has three arms: the Sheriff, the State's Attorney, and the Court.  If you want to see how the three can operate in tandem to do an injustice to one man, then I highly recommend Vince Testa's video.

One Born Every Minute

The Antioch Rescue Squad accountant who responded to the 911 call had good news and bad news for your LakeCountyEye. No, your LakeCountyEye does not have tick-borne Lyme Disease. Your LakeCountyEye has something much worse -- the gamblin' bug.

Haha, the Lake County Board voted last week to legalize slot machines video gambling in unincorporated Lake County. According to the News-Sun ...

"I understand why people are opposed to it," said Rob Hardman, co-owner of Blarney Island on Grass Lake Road west of Antioch. "The problem is (video gaming) is in Lake County — it's very much in Lake County."
County makes 'tough vote' to repeal ban on video gaming

The Mayor of incorporated Gurnee, for one, was none too pleased. Kristina Kovarik told the Daily Herald ...

"It was the stupidest thing the county could have done," Kovarik said Wednesday. "It was stupid, period."
Gurnee mayor: Lake County gambling vote 'stupid'

So true, so true, but most elected officials will readily tell you that legalized gambling is a stealth tax on the stupid.

As luck would have it, the production offices of this blog are located in unincorporated Lake County.  And if your LakeCountyEye understands the new legislation correctly, this blog is now Lake County's #1 Internet destination for online gambling. Your LakeCountyEye has gone to great trouble and expense to develop a convenient new video gaming Internet app, below:

Lake County's Internet gamblers can now play video poker from the comfort of their unincorporated homes and not the discomfort of some gin soaked unincorporated saloon!

Sharpeyed ops may notice that in reality there is no such thing embedded, above, on this blog. That is because, in reality, your LakeCountyEye did not go to great trouble and expense to develop a video gaming Internet widget. Instead, your LakeCountyEye has cut out the middle man, to pass on the savings to you. Lake County gamblers are invited to Email their gamblin' dollars directly to your LakeCountyEye at ...

LakeCountyEye@gmail.com

This way, every dollar saved is an extra dollar in your pocket.

Remember, if you don't play you can't win. Send that walkin'around money of yours to ...

LakeCountyEye@gmail.com

... with the subject line:

MegaMillions

Offer void where prohibited by law.

North By Northeast Illinois Vacation Destinations

Your LakeCountyEye got the itch. Yes, video poker is now legal in unincorporated Lake County -- but no, your LakeCountyEye ain't got the gamblin' itch. As readers of this blog are paresthetically aware ...

Don't Sprayz Me, Bro

Being basically built on swampland nobody wanted, Lake County enjoys more than its fair share of mosquitoes. And that's the itch your LakeCountyEye got.

Happily, Lake County is favored with one safe harbor from biting insects.  The South Lake Mosquito Abatement District, entrusted with a mission to destroy mosquitoes and any other insects that get in the way, has been aerial bombing the Village of Highland Park with an insecticide called DUET. According to the News-Sun ...

While the DUET label cautions the product is harmful to bees, mosquito control officials note the spraying is conducted at night when bees have retreated to their hives.
Residents criticize mosquito district for fly-over spraying

So whereas the industrious bees are safely retired to their hives at a reasonable hour, the village of Highland Park has been exterminating their nocturnal cousins -- bugs that carouse all night, and who knows how late.  Like those disreputable crickets and katydids and fireflies.

The news that airplanes are spraying mosquitoes over Highland Park was timely and welcome news indeed for your LakeCountyEye. Operatives will find your LakeCountyEye summer vacationing in prophylactic Highland Park -- now 100% insect free!

To prove it, here are some vacation snapshots courtesy the Polaroid Instamatic:

Your LakeCountyEye at Port Clinton Square



Your LakeCountyEye at Ravinia



Your LakeCountyEye
at the Chicago Botanical Gardens



Your LakeCountyEye on the set of
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Highland Park operatives may look for your LakeCountyEye, that handsome devil.

Don't Sprayz Me, Bro

Lake County can boast a surplus two things: mosquitoes and assault rifles. So it should be no surprise that the #1 Lake County nighttime fun activity for the entire family is target practice. Against biting insects. It should also be no surprise that the Village of Highland Park, which recently banned assault rifles, is reporting a bumper crop of mosquitoes this year. According to the News-Sun ...

A group of Highland Park residents criticized officials with the South Lake Mosquito Abatement District on Monday, Aug. 12, for a decision to conduct fly-over spraying on July 11.
Residents criticize mosquito district for fly-over spraying

When the conversation turns to things by nature all bugs, your LakeCountyEye turns to the bugs expert, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Math Death at the College of Lake County.

The obvious question was: "How safe is insect spraying?" Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi had a quick response: "Safe as milk. Just ask the insecticide manufacturer. Or the application contractor. Or the responsible government body. If you can't trust the word of vested special interests like these, who can you trust?"

Safety, of course, comes at a price. Your LakeCountyEye wanted to know if this was reflected in the tax bill. "Not at all." replied Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "In fact, save yourself a couple of bucks. The next night they spray, treat the family to icecream cones. When the clerk offers to upgrade your cones with extra toppings, tell him no thanks. Tell him you'll be outside, waiting for the mosquito spray. Different insecticides will deposit different color residues on the cones!"

Your LakeCountyEye was intrigued and asked, "What insecticide do they use?" Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi said the chemical they now use is called DUET.

"DUET?" mused your LakeCountyEye. "That sounds safe."

"Absolutely." said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "I do recall one insecticide that was not as popular. It was marketed under the brand name: A CUTE NEUROTOXIN"

Your LakeCountyEye wondered how the DUET was applied.

"Aerosol particulates delivered through a spray mechanism." replied Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Typically a fogger mounted on a pickup truck. Sometimes from an airplane, like in Highland Park last month. This is a funny story -- I know one pilot who sprayed "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" over his girlfriend's home."

"Very romantic." said your LakeCountyEye. "Did they get married?"

"It's actually a sad story." replied Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "She's still in the Hospital ICU."

This was more than your LakeCountyEye needed to know, and asked "Do you have any parting advice?"

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi only said "Tell your operatives, if they want to pick up a couple fast bucks, open a retail Hazmat supply shop in Highland Park."

Blog1 Off

Your LakeCountyEye has sad news to report about TheBlog1.com -- according to the Daily Herald ...

A long-running blog about Island Lake politics and events unceremoniously closed over the weekend. The site, at theblog1.com, once was run by then-Trustee Laurie Rabattini and then by a series of activists
Island Lake blog shut down

Operatives will recall that the TheBlog1.com was the innovative Lake County political blog that launched 1,000 Daily Herald stories and editorials. TheBlog1.com's rabid rhetoric and untutored approach to rational discourse became the de facto standard for political dialog in Island Lake. Your LakeCountyEye recalls that TheBlog1.com introduced at least one new term to the political lexicon:

No Ifs, Ands or Rebuttles

As a tribute to TheBlog1.com, your LakeCountyEye has compiled 10 epitaphs to commemorate its passing:

Ten Euphemisms for the Departure of TheBlog1.com

Demised Passed On Is No More Has Ceased To Be Expired and Gone to Meet Its Maker A Stiff, Bereft of Life, Rests in Peace Pushing Up the Daisies Its Metabolic Processes are Now History Kicked the Bucket Shuffled Off the Mortal Coil, Rung Down the Curtain and Joined the Bleedin' Choir Invisible

So, on this solemn occasion, a moment of silence is requested for the TheBlog1.com, as your LakeCountyEye offers a prayer of Requiem Æternam:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

That is an ex-TheBlog1.com

Government of the Repeal, by the Repeal, for the Repeal

Perhaps they got their marching orders this week from Speaker of the House John Boehner, who said, "we ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal". In any event, Lake County's elected officials are in an especially repellent mood, and promise to repeal a number of unpopular Lake Country laws.

One law these elected officials want to repeal establishes a new independent election commission in Lake County.  State Representative David McSweeney told the Daily Herald ...

"Springfield politicians will stop at nothing to further consolidate power," McSweeney said in a statement.
Lake County lawmakers trying to repeal election commission

McSweeney did neglect to explain how the law is supposed to consolidate power. As your LakeCountyEye understands it, the new law does quite the opposite -- it distributes power by transferring election duties from the Lake County Clerk to an independent election commission.  It may be instructive to note that David McSweeney is not a professional stand-up comedian; he is a Springfield politician.

Perhaps not uncoincidentally, another law under scrutiny regulates slot machines video gaming in Lake County. According to the Daily Herald ...

The question of whether to allow video gambling in unincorporated Lake County will go to the full county board with a key recommendation from the finance committee. The county board's finance and administrative committee recommended repealing the 2009 ordinance that banned video gambling
Lake County panel says repeal video gambling ban

If the ban is lifted, planners estimate that most of the new gaming licenses would go to businesses in the Chain O' Lakes area -- which would be a boon to homeowners there, who presently have to drive all the way to Mundelein to get near any loose slots. Not surprisingly, your LakeCountyEye has learned that the croupiers at the Waukegan Casino are planning to relocate their casino to Blarney Island.

But in spite of all the political saber rattling, smart money is betting that neither law gets repealed during the current legislative calendar. Your LakeCountyEye can report, however, that compromise legislation may be in the works. Do not be surprised if Lake County's independent election commission is shut down some time this year -- but only in unincorporated Lake County.  One source told your LakeCountyEye, "No one there ever votes anyways."

Finally, there is still no word whether another unpopular law has been repealed in Lake County, yet -- ObamaCare. Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised as events warrant.

Let Them Eat Cake

If anyone is capable of dodging uncomfortable questions asked by busybody reporters, that would be Peter Roskam. Nominal Lake County Congressman and Junket King, Peter Roskam was in Algonquin this week for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a low-income senior living community. If your LakeCountyEye reads the Northwest Herald correctly, buttinsky reporters covering the event were more interested in Roskam's all-expenses-paid trip to Taiwan and subsequent US House of Representatives ethics investigation:

While in McHenry County on Monday to celebrate the opening of an affordable senior housing community, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., said he fully expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing regarding a trip he took to Taiwan in 2011.
Roskam: No rules violated on Taiwan trip

Operatives do not need to be reminded that affordable senior housing is federally subsidized independent living facilities intended for low-income senior citizens. Low Income is sometimes defined as having to choose between buying medicine or buying food.

What those meddlesome reporters failed to ask Roskam was to explain why he voted to cut the Federal Food Stamp program by $20 billion:

H.R.1947: Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

Nine percent of all Food Stamp recipients are senior citizens. And for those who sometimes have to choose between buying medicine and buying food, the Food Stamp program can be a life-saver.

Your LakeCountyEye did not know if any Food Stamp recipients were there to help Peter Roskam celebrate their new affordable housing center. One Roskam supporter your LakeCountyEye talked to was unconcerned about the bald-faced hypocrisy. She said she still plans to vote for Roskam: "He seems like such a nice young man. If he says the government spends too much money on Food Stamps, I trust him. Besides, I'll start eating cat food before I'd want to become dependent on Food Stamps."

McHenry County Blotto?

There is no truth to the rumor that Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos purchased the McHenryCountyBlog, today, for a quarter billion dollars. Nor that Bezos bought the blog -- which covers politics in mostly agrarian McHenry County -- for the opportunity to "put that gluepot out to pasture".

This hasn't, however, changed the fact that the McHenryCountyBlog has been, metaphorically speaking, out to pasture for the past couple of hours. And by "out to pasture" your LakeCountyEye means deadair flatlined.  As of this posting, there is Nothing Found on the McHenryCountyBlog:

McHenry County Blog: Nothing Found

Honesty, when this refreshing, is always to be commended. Your LakeCountyEye nonetheless has long suspected there was a finite amount of bandwidth available over in McHenry County, and this may just confirm it.

For the record, this blog -- the LakeCountyEye -- is also for sale to the right buyer and at the right price. Your LakeCountyEye knows that those Amazon.com reconnaissance bots are surveilling this blog. Note to operatives at Amazon.com: give your LakeCountyEye a call. There's lots of pasture land over here in Lake County, too.

Q the Eye/08.04.13

Dear LakeCountyEye,

I've been a faithful Lake County government employee for nearly 20 years, and now we've gotten word that our office is being downsized. Is there anyone hiring in Lake County?

Not Working Stiff

Dear Stiffed,

You're in luck. A new multi-million-dollar-budget government bureaucracy is opening for business on August 26; send your resume to the Lake County Election Commission -- and feel free to use your LakeCountyEye as a reference.

Just don't make the mistake of one local wage earner in a situation remarkably similar to yours, who decided to make a big stink over it instead. As readers of this blog are flagrantly aware ...

Sore Losers

A new law, passed this year, transfers election authority from the Lake County Clerk's office to an independent election commission. Lake County Clerk Willard Helander was adamantly opposed to the law; and the Lake County State's Attorney filed a lawsuit last week asking for an injunction to stop the new election commission, and to have the law declared unconstitutional.

Well, guess what? If the courts do grant a temporary injunction, then oversight of elections in Lake County will be in legal limbo until the constitutionality of the law is decided. Quite possibly the court may not make a decision until a week or two before the next Primary Election. And if the law is unconstitutional, then, haha, the Lake County Clerk will have one or two weeks to put together an election.

So now, according to the News-Sun, an attorney representing County Clerk Willard Helander is telling the court that they now want to ...

oppose the request for the temporary injunction, although he refused to elaborate afterward on why he is seeking to fight an injunction against a law Helander has adamantly opposed.
Hearing for elections lawsuit set for Aug. 16

The moral of the story: The next time someone makes a stink, do not be surprised if they get served a steaming plate full of something odious they did not order.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

Awesome Is As Awesome Does

Rumor has it that Peter Roskam's campaign staffers never have to wait for the Chinese take-out delivery guy. That's because lobbyists pay for staffers' carfare to the restaurant. Haha, as readers of this blog are wantonly aware ...

A Chinese Junket

Peter Roskam, a Congressman who represents Lake County, got himself into a chinese cucumber pickle by having taken $25,000 from a questionable source for an opportunity to visit Taiwan. Lake County's newspaper of record, the Daily Herald, was not amused -- and, in an editorial, demanded that Roskam ...

Please explain to us and to your suburban constituents why, legal or not, you should accept a free junket apparently engineered by a foreign government that is interested in influencing your exercise of power? In fact, why should you accept a free junket sponsored by anyone seeking to influence you? Please explain to us why, legal or not, you should accept a free trip for your wife, paid for by a private grant that apparently had been engineered by that same foreign government?
Editorial: Roskam, ethics and an oddly funded trip to Taiwan

Smart politicians who are the target of undesirable media quickly pivot to damage control mode. When bad press appears on the Internet, operatives and staff are directed to post rebuttals at the offending websites.

Roskam was the beneficiary of one high-profile proponent -- Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran -- who took the Daily Herald to task on their own turf. Parachuting into the Daily Herald website, Curran dropped an A-Bomb in the comment section of the offending editorial ...

Editorial: Roskam, ethics and an oddly funded trip to Taiwan

... and like a special op, Curran was out as swiftly as he got in.

Operatives faint of heart are advised to avert their eyes. The Daily Herald is punk'd -- Mark Curran lays the smackdown!

Sore Losers

Lake County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor is girding his loins in an effort to legally terminate the still in-utero Lake County Election Commission. As readers of this blog are briefly aware ...

Does Money Really Buy Elections?

Lake County had been on a fast-track to get its own independent Election Commission. But now, according to the Daily Herald ...

Calling the measure illegal and unconstitutional, Lake County officials are seeking an injunction to stop a new state law that strips away the county clerk's election oversight. Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Waukegan to halt the change, which Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law as part of a wide-reaching piece of election-related legislation. The law orders Lake County's chief judge to create a five-member commission that will manage future elections, starting with the spring primary.
Lake County seeking injunction to stop election law changes

Operatives are clamoring to know what to expect -- as if your LakeCountyEye is supposed to be Kreskin or somebody.  Luckily one expert who is disposed to sort it all out has stepped forward, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Free Legal Advice at the College of Lake County.

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi told your LakeCountyEye today, "Cover up all the shrubs, this has all the markings of an epic pissing match over whose hands pull the levers of power on Lake County."

Your LakeCountyEye concurred: voting is the foundation of democracy and this latest kerfuffle is not likely bode well with Lake County's voters.

But Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi was having none of that. "The voters? Haw haw, the voters don't even know when elections are held, let alone who is in charge of running those elections. The voters aren't going to notice anything before they see their tax bill."

Your LakeCountyEye then wanted to know how much a new election commission will cost.

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi replied, "The County Chairman is quoting a figure of $600,000 -- but that money won't increase your tax bill because it will be coming out of the County Clerk's existing budget.  What they aren't telling anyone is that $600,000 will be chicken-food compared to legal expenses incurred from their lawsuit. The Lake County State's Attorney filed the suit on constitutional grounds.  One constitutional suit that went against the State of Illinois in 2005 cost taxpayers more than a million dollars."

Your LakeCountyEye concurred: a million dollars was by no means chicken-food.

"Or chimp change, for that matter.", Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, continued. "And that's just the cost of a trial in some local Circuit Court. Add in the cost of appeals, all the way up to the Illinois Supreme Court, and then the US Supreme Court, and then the World Court at the Hague, and before you know it, Lake County will find itself in Bankruptcy Court!"

Before parting, your LakeCountyEye needed to know the most likely outcome of the lawsuit.

"Tell your operatives", said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "that the smart money is betting on the Lake County State's Attorney to win this one. But subsequent DNA evidence will turn up and the suit will be thrown out on appeal."

Does Money Really Buy Elections?

Your LakeCountyEye is advising operatives to be extra vigilant, Lake County is in a local political uproar. According to the Daily Herald ...

Gov. Pat Quinn is planning to sign legislation Saturday that would take elections duties away from the Lake County Clerk, a new law that has created a local political uproar.
Quinn to OK controversial Lake County voting plan

And as readers of this blog are presciently aware ...

Split the Vote

The Governor has signed the election bill into law -- which goes a long way toward explaining the local political uproar currently rocking Lake County.

People will get into local political uproars over a lot of things but it usually ends up being over money:

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor said the new law could cost the county more than $700,000 in new staff costs, in addition to upfront expenses for printing and other office needs.
Quinn to OK controversial Lake County voting plan

Your LakeCountyEye doesn't know how Aaron Lawlor arrived at a figure of $700,000. Perhaps Lawlor keeps a finger on the pulse of politics downstate, where an election commission costs Peoria taxpayers about the same amount:

The election commission's 2011 budget is $624,318 and the county's is $373,363. A majority of those expenses are in personnel costs and election judges.
Is this the city election commission's last hurrah?

In any event, your LakeCountyEye doesn't see the Lake County taxpayer footing the bill, because that $700K should be taken out of the County Clerk's budget. Because the County Clerk won't be handling the elections in Lake County any more. And won't need the extra money. Unless they need the money for raises and other incentives. In which case the taxpayer will be footing the bill.

Your LakeCountyEye has been reminded that nearly every sentence spoken by Aaron Lawlor contains three things: a noun, a verb and the Route 53 Extension. To put things in some perspective, that $700,000 might be enough money to pay for one or two Toll Plaza signs:

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you posted as further developments warrant.

Split the Vote

Apparently acting on a tip that the US Justice Department ...

is expected to use Sections 2 and 3 of the Voting Rights Act to prevent states from implementing certain laws, including requirements to present particular types of identification to vote.
Justice Department to challenge states’ voting laws

The Illinois Legislature passed a voting rights bill that was hastily signed into law this weekend. One part of the new voting bill, according to the Chicago Tribune, will ...

strip election duties from the Lake County Clerk's office, instead transferring those powers to a five-member board appointed by a judge.
Quinn signs bill allowing online voter registration in Illinois

The bill is being hailed by voting rights advocates. One anonymous source, on condition of anonymity, told your LakeCountyEye "Illinois was in danger of running afoul of provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and was on the Justice Department's radar.  No one wants to see Federal Marshals conducting elections in Illinois.  This bill will ensure clean and fair elections in Lake County for years to come!"

Not everyone is quite so pleased. State Senator Dan Duffy told the Tribune ...

"It's typical Chicago politics, coming in and overriding the voice and concerns of the people of Lake County."
Quinn signs bill allowing online voter registration in Illinois

Your LakeCountyEye decided to find out what elections would be like in Lake County, if they were now going to be governed by the rules of typical Chicago politics:

The Voters' Bill of Rights
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners

Your LakeCountyEye has to admit, a new voting-day regimen like this will take some getting used to. If this is what Lake County voters should expect, then small wonder some would be upset over a change in rules like these.

A Chinese Junket

Operatives are urged to sharpen their pencils for another LakeCountyEye political pop quiz:

What is the name of the former New York Congressman who resigned because of a sexting scandal, and who is now running for Mayor of New York City, and who is now embroiled in another sexting scandal, and who is now being investigated by the US House of Representatives Ethics Committee?

If you answered Anthony Weiner, good guess but you are incorrect. The correct answer is Lake County Congressman Peter Roskam.

Sharpeyed operatives will notice that this was a trick question: your LakeCountyEye lied about the parts where Peter Roskam is a former New York Congressman, or a candidate for Mayor of New York City, or is in the middle of a sexting scandal -- none of which is true. Your LakeCountyEye, however, did not lie about the part where Peter Roskam is being investigated by the US House Ethics Committee -- which they are.  According to the Chicago Sun-Times ...

The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it was probing Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) without detailing what was at issue.
House ethics panel probing Rep. Peter Roskam over Taiwan trip

The Chicago Tribune had some details ...

A trip to Taiwan that Rep. Peter Roskam took with his wife in 2011 has been referred to the House ethics committee at the urging of an outside panel that found he may have violated House rules and federal law in accepting the $25,000-plus excursion, according to ethics officials and the congressman's office.
Rep. Roskam faces ethics probe

Taiwan is not the first junket that Roskam has taken as a Congressman:

Roskam travels abroad regularly. A Tribune review of congressional travel during the years 2009 and 2010 found he had made four trips abroad during that time to five countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Israel and South Korea.
Rep. Roskam faces ethics probe

Roskam also should not be confused with former Congressman Phil Crane. Crane did represent that part of Lake County now represented by Peter Roskam. But Phil Crane, who back in the day had a reputation for spending more time overseas than in Washington -- and was known as the Junket King -- lost his seat in 2004.

Totally different.

Crackers

If the natural sciences had a #1 fanboy, that would be your LakeCountyEye -- who loves all the cable science shows, like MythBusters. So naturally this Chicago Tribune story caught your LakeCountyEye's eye:

A monster magnet is making its way from the East Coast to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where scientists say it will be used to study subatomic particles. The Muon g-2 ring is scheduled to arrive in Batavia on Friday after more than a month on the road, traveling from its former home at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island.
Mega-magnet draws close to Fermilab

In related news, huge traffic jams are crippling McHenry County, where it is being reported that some mysterious force is pulling the nails out of all of the horseshoes and covered wagons.

Haha, your LakeCountyEye loves to kid.

McHenry County is a lot like Lake County, except their Community College is not called the College of Lake County -- theirs is called the McHenry County College instead. Another difference is that Lake County tends not to regard higher education with suspicion and mistrust.

So it should come as no surprise that McHenry County residents cannot figure out how to open documents obtained from McHenry County College. And are whining about it.  According to the technophobes at the McHenryCountyBlog, there are too many security restrictions on the PDF documents downloaded from the McHenry County College website:

Document Viewing Restrictions: McHenry County vs. McHenry County College

Now your LakeCountyEye may just be a simple country boy from the suburbs simple country blogger, but even a script kiddie can be a password cracker these days:

How I became a password cracker

Note to ops (in McHenry County): there are lots of opensource PDF crackers out there ...

A PDF password remover (also called a PDF password cracker, password reset, or password recovery tool, depending on its ability) is a program that can be used to either find, remove, or bypass the security on a PDF file that prevents you from opening, printing, or changing the PDF file.
7 Free PDF Password Remover Tools

And some of those password crackers even look legitimate, and may not be trojans that can infect a blog with Viagra ads:

Spam Roast

Just sayin!

Fair Game

The Sun, like a heat lamp gone ape, beat down upon the streets and fields of Lake County all week. And whenever it's hot enough to fry on the sidewalk a deep-fried Cheeto, expect to see your LakeCountyEye cozy with the ice-chest, in the beer tent, at the Lake County Fair.

Luckily for all parties involved, the Lake County Fair is scheduled for this week:

Wednesday 7/24: 10am - 10pm
Thursday 7/25: 10am - 10pm
Friday 7/26: 10am - 11pm
Saturday 7/27: 10am - 11pm
Sunday 7/28: 10am - 9pm
Lake County Fair

For those ops who think there is nothing nearly as boring as reading a blog about Lake County politics, just try hanging out at a County Fair some afternoon.  Luckily there is an exciting scavenger hunt coming-up at this County Fair ...

The Lake County Fair is giving residents the opportunity to submit ideas of items to be sealed into a time capsule and buried in the Lake County Fairgrounds. The time capsule will be dug up in 15 years on the fair's 100th anniversary.
LC Fair looking for items to bury in time capsule

The organizers told the Lake County Journal they are are on the lookout for some creative submissions ...

"We're really hoping for out-of-the-box ideas"
LC Fair looking for items to bury in time capsule

Well, if that isn't a segue for another moth-eaten LakeCountyEye Top Ten List, then what is? Your LakeCountyEye has already scrounged together 10 objet d'arts to donate to the Lake County Fair:

Ten Out-of-the-Box Items Seen in the Lake County Fair Time Capsule

AR-15 Assault Rifle Hubcap Found in the Breakdown Lane of the Route 53 Extension The Fake Stevenson Letter Girls Gone Wild on Blarney Island Now on HD VHS! Lake County Election Commission Absentee Ballot Cacklefruit (Courtesy the Mundelein Free-Range Chickens) The Island Lake Village Robo-Dialer A Pair of Waukegan Casino Loaded Dice Mark Curran for Attorney General Yardsign Another Moth-Eaten LakeCountyEye Internet Top 10 List

Look for your LakeCountyEye eyeing that corndog near you.

For Better or For Worse Til Death Do Us Part

One doesn't have to be a chatroom marriage counselor to see that Lake County is suffering through some marital difficulties. In one corner sits Congressman Randy Hultgren, who has co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment that will Federally prohibit gay marriage. And in the other corner sits State Representative Ed Sullivan, who supports legislation that will legalize gay marriage in Illinois.

If you see political infighting happening within your Party, your LakeCountyEye advises never ever delay. Act immediately and pass that buck as quickly as possible over to someone that everyone can blame later -- ideally a pricey political consultant -- for instance, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Party Led Mediation at the College of Lake County.

Your LakeCountyEye caught up with Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi at a nearby house of worship, where he immediately broke into a jeremiad: "The Democrats think gay marriage is this fantastic wedge issue that is going to divide the Republican Party. Well, I'll tell you what the people of Lake County really care about, and that is their guns. And Randy Hultgren and Ed Sullivan are both on the same page when it comes to firearms."

Your LakeCountyEye must've been caught in a blank stare, because Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi continued without missing a beat: "Have you noticed that Ed Sullivan has been in all the papers lately, talking about concealed carry and assault weapons? Soon everyone in Illinois will be walking around with a concealed weapon or assault rifle, and a direct beneficiary of this state-wide change-in-culture will be Randy Hultgren.

"Randy Hultgren?", asked your LakeCountyEye. "How so?"

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, seeming to have anticipated the question, scarcely paused: "The mortality rate among gun owners, from an accidental or self-inflicted gun-shot wound, is off the charts when compared to the general population. You don't need to be Warren Buffet to see the direct beneficiary of concealed carry and assault weapons in Illinois will be the funeral business. If I were an undertaker somewhere in Illinois, I'd be looking forward to boom times ahead."

Your LakeCountyEye, no Warren Buffet, did not know that. As always, your LakeCountyEye asked Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi if he had any parting advice for the ops.

He replied in a deadpan tone, "Tell all your operatives that before they apply for their concealed carry permit, to pre-order in advance for themselves a casket and gravesite. They'll save a barrel of cash."

The Wedding Party?

Now that the US Constitution has been amended to mandate concealed carry for all able-bodied US citizens over the age of 12, Randy Hultgren -- nodoubt feeling emboldened -- has co-sponsored a "Marriage Protection Amendment".

Operatives who do not recognize the name Randy Hultgren are by no means in a minority. Hultgren, a Republican Congressman, has been described to your LakeCountyEye as a clone of ex-Representative "Joe Walsh, but with all the bad-boy charm surgically removed."

Hultgren certainly shares Walsh's conservative bona fides, as his Amendment to the US Constitution would outlaw gay marriage:

Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.
H.J.RES.51 -- Marriage Protection Amendment (Introduced in House - IH)

Something else your LakeCountyEye did not know, is that Hultgren represents significant portions of Lake County. In fact, if you look at a map of Hultgren's district, it divides Lake County with a pincer movement that locks-in between Wauconda and Mundelein, at the heart of Ed Sullivan's Representative District 51.

Ed Sullivan, as readers of this blog should be automatically aware, is a Republican State Representative who champions legislation that would enact marriage equality in Illinois:

Silky Sullivan

After it passes through Congress, Hultgren's anti-gay marriage Amendment will be sent to the States for ratification. In Illinois's case, the Amendment will go to Springfield where Ed Sullivan will have an opportunity to vote for or against it.

Sullivan, a member of House GOP leadership, would be obligated to support any US Constitutional Amendment sponsored by a Republican Congressmen -- particularly one that represents Sullivan's district. At the same time however, Sullivan may be called to vote in favor of an Illinois gay marriage bill brought to the floor in Springfield. While this sort of situation would have have the nerviest pol feeling like the groom who got cold feet when walking down the aisle -- it is by no means unmanageable.

When the newspapers ask why you voted for a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage, tell them that traditional marriage is the bedrock of every faith and society will perish without it.

And when the newspapers ask why you voted to legalize gay marriage in Illinois, tell them that State's Rights are absolute and this is none of the Federal Government's damn business.

Smooth as silk.

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

There is only one thing Lake County likes better than carrying a hidden firearm. Or going to church. And that would be going to church, while carrying a hidden firearm.

Well, Lake County must be thinking it has died from an accidental gunshot wound and gone to heaven.  That's because now that Illinois is the 50th state to ratify concealed carry, Lake County can now worship not only at the church or synagogue of their choice but with their caliber of choice.  As one suburban Chicago Senator Tweeted (and far better than your LakeCountyEye could) ...

You may not know ... but now in IL people can carry loaded concealed handguns in churches. "Peace be with you" is now "Piece be with you?"
Twitter

Well the joke's on you, because that same State Senator is now threatening to chip away at Lake County's God-given 2nd Amendment Right to pack heat while being preached hellfire. According to the Daily Herald:

Even before Illinois' concealed carry law has been fully implemented, state Sen. Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat, said he'll be trying to ban loaded guns from churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship. Legislation approved by lawmakers last week restricts carrying a concealed weapon in parks, schools, casinos and amusement parks, among other places, but churches aren't exempt.
Kotowski wants to ban guns in places of worship

Luckily Lake County has its own point man on concealed carry, State Rep Ed Sullivan -- who was quick on the draw to talk to the Daily Herald ...

State Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican and concealed carry supporter, said it was predictable that opponents would start working to "chip away" at the new law. Sullivan said churches weren't a part of the negotiations that led to the existing exemptions. He argued the new law should stay in place for a while before lawmakers start trying to change it again.
Kotowski wants to ban guns in places of worship

If your LakeCountyEye had 21 guns, your LakeCountyEye would propose a 21 gun salute. Be that as it may, if anyone asks "who has your back?", tell then Rep Ed Sullivan.

For the record, Ed Sullivan is also an open supporter of gay marriage in Illinois. Sullivan, no doubt, would want to extend any marriage equality legislation to include shotgun weddings.

Haha, your LakeCountyEye loves that joke.

A General Occasion

That giant sucking sound you heard were the Republican candidates for Illinois Attorney General all heading for the nearest exit. Lisa Madigan announced today that she will seek re-election as Attorney General. According to the Daily Herald ...

Attorney General Lisa Madigan says she'll seek another term instead of running for Illinois governor next year. In a Monday statement, the Chicago Democrat says she's been considering the decision for months but that she enjoys her current job.
Lisa Madigan won’t run for governor

Lisa Madigan last appeared in this blog when Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran announced he would not run for Sheriff but would run for Attorney General instead -- and then changed his mind, yet again, announcing he would not run for Attorney General, after all:

Flippertigibbets

As it seemed then -- back in the day -- GOP Party bosses did not want to see Curran's name on the ballot for Attorney General, if it was an open seat and winnable by a strong candidate.  Your LakeCountyEye took this as an unambiguous signal that Lisa Madigan would run for Governor.

Haha -- hindsight is 20/20.

Your LakeCountyEye takes these new developments as an unambiguous signal that Mark Curran will change his mind yet again and announce that he will run for Attorney General, after all.

Pay to Display

Live-blogging from the waiting room of the Lake County General Hospital, your LakeCountyEye is recuperating from injuries sustained on the shooting range 4th of July. There is not much in the way of reading material here, save some old editions of the Daily Herald. For operatives not acquainted with Lake County's Newspaper of Record, its masthead is reproduced below:

Daily Herald

One Daily Herald news item caught your LakeCountyEye's attention:

If you'd like to brush up on your technology skills, how about signing up for a free class on navigating the Internet? The Daily Herald is partnering with the Microsoft store at Woodfield Mall to offer seven-day subscribers instruction on Skype, Facebook, Outlook and other topics.
Don't get left behind

Every Monday for the remainder of the summer, the Daily Herald is offering some free Internet workshops. The course schedule is reproduced here:

Untangle the Web

All About Apps Outlook Email Saving and sharing files and photos Facebook Online security, privacy and safety Skyping made simple

Your LakeCountyEye is always eager to brush up on the technology skills, particularly when it comes to navigating the Internet. The Daily Herald workshops, however, do not seem to include a course on how to beat an Internet paywall.

Bing

Maybe that one is sold-out already.

For I was Sick and You Did Not Vista Me

Your LakeCountyEye is under the weather.  As readers of this blog are uneasily aware ...

Boom Goes the Dynamite

while fireworks are -- technically speaking -- illegal in Illinois, legal technicalities have never gotten between your LakeCountyEye and a good ol' fashioned 4th of July.  Note, however, to operatives: third degree burns, internal injuries and multiple fractures will get between your LakeCountyEye and a good ol' fashioned 4th of July. So don't be like your LakeCountyEye and sustain your Fourth of July injuries while on Blarney Island or some other place that is not immediately accessible to a convenient treatment center.

The region of Lake County around Lindenhurst would be an example of an area where a convenient treatment center seems to be needed.  And while one major health-care provider wants to build a hospital there, their proposal was recently axed.  According to Crain's Chicago Business ...

A state board has dealt a final blow to Vista Health System's latest plan to build a new hospital in north suburban Lindenhurst. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 5-2 against the $131 million project
State board quashes Vista Lindenhurst plan

Why was this Lindenhurst hospital killed? Was it because it would be built too-close-for-comfort to a rival health-care provider? According to the Daily Herald:

Opponents included Advocate Health Care, which argued a new Lindenhurst hospital was unnecessary. "We commend the board for sticking up for Lake County patients and recognizing that a new, for-profit hospital would do more harm than good," Dr. Bruce Hyman, medical staff president at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, said in a statement.
Good Shepherd expansion OK'd
But Lindenhurst proposal nixed again

The informed sources explained to your LakeCountyEye that, while "you can never be too rich or too thin, you can be served by too many hospitals!"

Note to ops: If anyone knows of a health-care provider that is equipped to treat uninsured bloggers, please contact this blog immediately. Until then, look for your LakeCountyEye, on the puny list.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

As sure as your LakeCountyEye is a two-finger typist, fireworks are illegal in Lake County. In fact they are verboten in the entire State, as Illinoisans have to cross porous borders to remote locales -- like Hammond, Indiana -- if they want to celebrate the Fourth of July the way the Founders intended.

Independence Day is your LakeCountyEye's favorite federal holiday.  Everyone gets to wave a flag and declare love-of-country and proclaim their patriotism, just like the real politicians do. And, of course, it is a once-in-a-year opportunity to risk life or limb for the sake of 5 or 10 minutes of pyrotechnic tomfoolery.

With the Fourth of July nigh, your LakeCountyEye has surveyed the theater of operations and compiled a list of the best fireworks available on Lake County's black-powder market. They can be counted on the fingers of at least two hands:

Lake County's Ten Most Awesomest 2013 Fourth of July Fireworks
	1. The Route 53 Explosion
	2. The Rockets Red Light Camera Glare
	3. The Zion Nuclear Bomb
	4. The Traditional Marriage Underminer Available in Rep District 51
	5. The Route 83 M-80
	6. Six Conflagrations Over Great America
	7. The Navy Seal of Disapproval Available in Waukegan
	8. Bangs Lake
	9. Lake County Emergency Management Agency Dirty Bomb
	10. The AR-15 Assault Rifle Not Available in Highland Park, Deerfield, North Chicago

Look for your LakeCountyEye, throwing bombs.