I'm Not a Doctor But I Play One on TV

With the Election only 4 weeks away, Doctor Howard Cooper is doubtless looking down in the mouth. That's because Cooper, the Lake County Coroner, is not a medical doctor -- he is a dentist.

HaHa.

Sharpeyed Operatives will note that Cooper has the word DOCTOR printed with his name on yardsigns, campaign material, social media.

This Doctor Howard Cooper however is arguably in good company. Your LakeCountyEye can think of more than 10 other "Doctors" who did quite well for themselves despite not being medical doctors:

Some Noteworthy "Doctors" Who Do Not Have a Medical Degree
1.	Dr. Hunter S. Thompson	Gonzo Journalist
2.	Dr. Dre	Rap Star
3.	Dr. Who	Time Lord
4.	Dr. Seuss	Children's Author
5.	Dr. Phil	Television Personality
6.	Dr. J	Basketball Player
7.	Dr. Science	He Knows More Than You Do
8.	Dr. John	The Night Tripper
9.	Dr. Ruth Westheimer	Sex Therapist
10.	Dr. Pepper	Soda Pop
11.	Dr. No	Bond Villan
12.	Dr. Demento	Disk Jockey
13.	Dr. Howard Cooper	Dentist

Look for your LakeCountyEye at a doc-in-a-box near you.

Spin Doctor

Did you know the Lake County Coroner is a Doctor? Your LakeCountyEye did not.

This is no secret --  Howard Cooper, the Lake County Coroner, has the word DOCTOR conspicuously on his yardsigns, website, social media:

Despite being ignorant of Cooper's medical credentials, your LakeCountyEye is in good company. Not a single board member who issued Howard Cooper his License to practice Medicine in Illinois knows that he is a doctor, either. That's because Howard Cooper does not have a license to practice medicine in Illinois.  He is a dentist.

Is there a law against claiming you are a Doctor on campaign material, when you are not one?

Why yes there is. It's called the Law of ... PSYCH!

Next Week: Is the coroner a psychoanalyst?

Approve by Contradiction

Voters in the United States are asked to bear two burdens every four years: Presidential debates and down-ballot candidates.

Will you recognize any of those other names on your 2020 Election ballot? Your LakeCountyEye certainly will not.

As luck would have it, the Chicago Tribune knows who all these other people are. And the Tribune has taken the trouble to evaluate your down-ballot candidates and to tell you which ones to vote for.  So you don't have to.

The Tribune is notorious for using any excuse to endorse an R over a D. And this cycle they did not disappoint. The Tribune declined to endorse one candidate because he does not support the Green New Deal or a single-payer health care option. This unlucky candidate ...

doesn’t support the progressive Green New Deal. He wants to expand Obamacare but does not support a single, government provider of health care.
Editorial: For the U.S. House: Ives, Kelly, Fricilone, Garcia, Quigley

While in the same story, the Tribune blackballed another candidate because she does support the Green New Deal and a single-payer health care option. This unlucky candidate ...

supports the left’s big-scale agenda, including a switch to government-run health insurance and the so-called Green New Deal environmental agenda. Those are not ideas we support.
Editorial: For the U.S. House: Ives, Kelly, Fricilone, Garcia, Quigley

Note to Tribune Ops: If your newsroom is illuminated by gaslight lamps, try not to breathe in too much methane.

Knock Knock. Who's There? Cthulhu.

The Chicago Tribune Creepy Cartoonist™ aims to make everyone out to be suckers:

Many tentacles

It goes without saying that Tribune readers expect original content from their political cartoonist. And not warmed-over Cartoon Network characters:

I squid you not, you're looking at another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision®!

Note to Ops: If you must steal, by all means steal from the best. But when you steal from Disney, make sure your lawyers know how to argue Federal copyright law:

Disney and Lucasfilm sue Winter Garden company over copyright infringement

Just Sayin!

All Hat and No Flagpole

It has come to your LakeCountyEye's attention that Autumnal Equinox is not a strain of the Winter flu. And while the flag may be going down on Summer in Lake County, the flag is rising in Grayslake.

The Village of Grayslake has a new flag:

Opportunity, solidarity and stability represented in Grayslake’s new village flag

A number of designs were solicited from local artists. Grayslake residents voted for this one.


It is not known when the new flags will be available. But you can make one of your own:

East Coast Mommy: Alphabet Crafts

NEXT WEEK ...
Dog Owners: That new flag is not a chew toy!

{H/T] East Coast Mommy

Message in a Bloggle

Is the McHenry County Blog transitioning to a creole diet? If not then why are they dishing up mumbo jumbo?

Does anyone know what that means? Not your LakeCountyEye.

Now, even those with enviable reading comprehension skills should have a backup system in case of failure. Your LakeCountyEye's backup system is Google:

Note to Ops: If you obtain your content from Russian disinformation trolls, make sure yours speaks English. Just Sayin!

The Missing Link

Caption Contest!

Note to Ops: Sharpen up your Instagram Caption Pencils. You are challenged to paste your captions over the former celebrities in the image below.

Who are these guys? Your LakeCountyEye does not know. Which is the point of the contest. Big prizes go to the lucky winner.

Area representatives address state, local issues

One thing is known, those look like good times.

The Ives Don't Have It

A moment of silence please, to observe the end of an era in Lake County. For thirty years one name has dominated Lake County political circles more than any other. Not really a name -- more an institution -- sadly, this institution is departing the Lake County political arena.

Your LakeCountyEye of course refers to the Lake County Republican Party.

The GOP has discontinued its political brand in Lake County.

Can you tell which political party this Lake County candidate caucuses with? Your LakeCountyEye cannot:

One bona fide spokesman said: "Normally, party branding is guaranteed to increase vote totals by a certain amount.  However, this cycle it has been estimated that the Republican Party brand will yield, in the aggregate, a negative number of votes. Henceforth, the GOP will be referred to as the Party Formerly Known As Republican ."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Tales from the Darkside

The Lake County GOP has gone dark.

Do you see any of these letters -- R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N -- on this yardsign? Your LakeCountyEye does not:

Is the Lake County Republican Party squelching their brand? One spokesman said: "You will not see the word REPUBLICAN on any of our signs.  We want to make them harder for the Democrats to steal."

A reporter asked him why he thought the Democrats would want to steal Republican yardsigns. The spokesman said: "You don't believe the Democrats are stealing signs?"

The reporter said: "No."

The spokesman said: "Would you believe if I said it was the Libertarians?"

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Grand Theft GOP

2020 ELECTION ALERT ...

Someone is stealing Republican yardsigns. Except they are leaving behind the yardsign!

Do you see the word REPUBLICAN anywhere on this yardsign? Your LakeCountyEye does not:

One local law enforcement spokesman told reporters: "I can't imagine what thieves are doing with all of those Republican brands. The street value is virtually nil."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

If You've Seen One You've Seen Them All

An actual unretouched screencap from the McHenryCountyBlog:



Note to Ops: If you plan to attend the fundraiser, be advised that they will be serving covfefe.

Last Call for One Lake County Public Servant

It was 100 degrees in the shade all week but this Lake County politician managed to get left out in the cold. Your LakeCountyEye of course refers to Ex-Sheriff Mark Curran.

During the Republican Convention last week, the Illinois GOP live-streamed a roster of fellow travelers:

Does anyone recognize any of these chumbolones? Your LakeCountyEye certainly does not. So it should be no surprise that Mark Curran did not recognize his own name anywhere there.

Being a candidate for US Senate, Curran felt he deserved to be invited to the dance and said so in a tweet. Curran quickly deleted the tweet -- but not quick enough for the Internet:

The only statewide Republican candidate on the ballot in November is not included, why is that?
Politwoops
Explore the Tweets They Didn't Want You to See

There is no hard evidence that anyone actually listened to the GOP live-stream. But one thing is known: The Mark Curran Campaign can be advised to stop paying its phone bills. No one is going to be returning their calls.

The Big Stink in Lake County

There is a big stink in Lake County, and the Democrats want to wipe it clean.

By big stink, of course, your LakeCountyEye means that toxic insecticide fog ejected from the back end of insecticide trucks owned by the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District, Clarke Mosquito Control, and other mosquito extermination organizations.

The trucks continue to spray vulnerable Lake County neighborhoods despite the fact that mosquitoes do not spread COVID-19:

Can mosquitoes spread the coronavirus?
No.
Can mosquitoes spread the coronavirus?

And if that don't take the cake, these trucks are also hazardous when they explode:

Lake County Sheriff's Office said 75 gallons of a pesticide spilled onto the ground in North Barrington Tuesday after a mosquito abatement company vehicle hauling the liquid crashed into a tree.
Truck Crash Causes Pesticide Spill In North Barrington

The Democrats now have legislation that would ban the use of the insecticide chlorpyrifos:

Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban chlorpyrifos and other pesticides that have sparked concerns among farmworker groups due to negative health effects.
Democrats introduce bill to ban chlorpyrifos, other pesticides to protect farmworkers

Because of its toxicity, Chlorpyrifos is already banned for non-commercial use.

The widely used pesticide was banned for household use in 2000, after studies found children who had been exposed to it had lower IQs than those who were not. Chlorpyrifos has also been linked to learning and memory issues and prolonged nerve and muscle stimulation.
Democrats introduce bill to ban chlorpyrifos, other pesticides to protect farmworkers

Chlorpyrifos is one of the insecticides in the arsenal of Clarke Mosquito Control:

Mosquitomist Two U.L.V.

For the record, the CDC recommends that you maintain at least a 6 foot distance away from airborne droplets.

Some Thoughts on the Lake County Train Wreck

The exploding Canadian National oil train failed to explode in Antioch on Friday:

A freight train car hauling nonhazardous material broke in two in an unincorporated area near Antioch in early Friday morning, authorities said.
Freight train car derails near Antioch

One official trainspotter told your LakeCountyEye: "Yup, that car snapped like a two-dollar lawn chair. Another Canadian National train derailed last February in Canada. That one leaked more oil than a KFC dumpster. No fire:"

A Canadian National Railway train that derailed near Emo, Ontario, at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday caused about 30 cars to leave the tracks and several to leak crude oil, confirmed CN officials this morning.
Oil leak result of Emo train derailment; highway closed indefinitely

Note to Ops: Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Head for the Hills

There is an old saying in show business politics: The Show Must Go On

So it should come as no surprise that in the Village of Barrington Hills, they take their politics show business very seriously:

Barrington Hills Board of Trustees :: Jul 21, 2020

One Barrington Hills resident (and urgent care physician) asked the Village to cancel their fall festival this year, out of concerns for public safety.

Nevertheless, Barrington Hills Mayor Martin McLaughlin declined to scrub the event -- which he called their "festivus":

Barrington Hills Board of Trustees :: Jul 21, 2020

If the Barrington Hills fest plays as advertised, it could go down as a super-spreader event. For those interested, the gathering is called ... wait for it ...

The Hills Are Alive

Note to Ops: Bring your own disinfectant.

Short ... but Sweet

If you believe the fakenews out of the Bureau of Labor of Statistics, the unemployment rate in Lake County is 11.5 percent. Your LakeCountyEye however knows the real facts. That unemployment number is actually 11.5% plus one:

North Barrington's village administrator has departed about four months after she was appointed to the post to rejoin the town where she used to work.
North Barrington village administrator returning to Lake in the Hills

HaHa, as readers of this blog are aware ...

The Sweet Deal

Under the auspices of new Mayor Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, the Village of North Barrington hired a government staffing agency to clean house at Village Hall.

And as readers of this blog are aware ...

Sweetshop

The Village of North Barrington fired their long-time village administrator/clerk for some fresh blood.

Well, as readers of this blog by now are aware, the Village of North Barrington failed to put a bandaid on that fresh blood:

North Barrington's village administrator has departed about four months after she was appointed to the post to rejoin the town where she used to work.
North Barrington village administrator returning to Lake in the Hills

At a time when local government employees throughout Lake County are working remotely from home, who wouldn't turn down an opportunity to work closer to -- erm -- home? Certainly not your LakeCountyEye.

Note to North Barrinmgton Ops: Your Village President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell runs an executive search firm:

The Remington Group, LLC

Be sure to ask for an employee discount!

Plan COVID-19

The Question of the Day goes out to those who were at State Rep Jeanne Ives's fundraiser in Lake Zurich,

COVID Jeanne

... where no one was observed wearing a mask:

Q: Who will pay your hospital bills?

HaHa, no worries, Jeanne Ives has got you covered:

Ives' campaign website contains only a brief statement on health care. "I will protect people with preexisting conditions, preexisting doctors and preexisting health insurance," according to the website. "You get covered in a way that meets your family's needs. And you call the shots." Up until the beginning of July, Ives had a more detailed health care statement on her campaign website in which she expressed her support for a plan proposed by the Republican Study Committee in October of last year.
In race for Congress, Casten, Ives back different health care plans

Note to Ops: If that fails, send those unpaid medical bills to:

Jeanne Ives
PO Box 1504
Wheaton, IL 60187

She should be in a position to cough up a couple bucks on your behalf!

Railroaded Apartments

Have you at long last lost patience waiting for that CN Rail train in your way? Well, get in line. The entire City of Waukegan is waiting. The Canadian National Railway, which sits in the way of thousands of drivers every day, is also in the way of new housing for Waukegan:

Residential development — with a mix of apartments, town homes and single-family houses — along Waukegan's south lakefront remains a vision for the city based on its 2003 master plan, with several obstacles remaining. Those obstacles include an economic slowdown, the coronavirus pandemic and a railroad which owns a 3.6-mile right of way
Railroad right of way remains obstacle to Waukegan’s dream of lakefront development

One trade spokesman said: "Excuse me if I don't share in all of the indignation. You know as well as I that Canadian National moves cars of flammable crude oil through Lake County every day. It's only a matter of time before these tracks are a burning heap of melted steel."

Click clack.

Jeanne the Pirate

An actual unretouched screencap from Jeanne Ives's website:

If the picture of the mailbox looks familiar, that is because it is a copyrighted image that Ives stole from The Atlantic magazine:

In the Pandemic, Every State Should Vote by Mail

In fact Ives did not even go to the trouble of copying the image. She simply hotlinked The Atlantic image to her website:

Note to Jeanne Ives Operatives: You may want to ask your boss to wear a mask, the next time someone pulls a heist:

Just Sayin!

COVID Jeanne

Today's challenge will test your knowledge of history:

Q: This notorious woman carried a potentially fatal illness and resisted efforts at quarantine. She eventually transmitted the disease to at least 53 people. What is her name?

If you answered State Representative Jeanne Ives you would be incorrect. The correct answer is: Typhoid Mary

The differences are clear-cut. Typhoid Mary never visited Lake Zurich. Jeanne Ives, on the other hand, has -- where she held a fundraiser this week. Social distancing norms and safeguards were not respected:

This is the same Lake Zurich that saw a recent surge in COVID-19:

73 COVID-19 cases traced to a few Fourth of July parties in Lake Zurich

Ives maintains her affair was totally appropriate. No Confederate statues were tore down:

Totally none.