Just in time for the premiere of AMC's "The Prisoner" remake, we learn Illinois may be the home to some 200 al-Qaida terrorists currently near a Cuban beach in Guantanamo Bay. The Hound says ship them to the Thomson Correctional Center. We might as well make something off the Jihadists.
Besides, these prisoners look like they will be surrounded by about 1,500 GIs, if U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin knows what he is talking about. If military guards are involved, what happens to the 3,000 jobs Gov. Pat Quinn was touting for tiny Thomson, out there in northwest Illinois, a region which over the years has commonly been referred to as Forgottonia. That's because the rest of Illinois has forgotten about it, like one of your funny uncles.
Congressional Republicans have decided to fight this proposal by the Obama administration tooth and nail with Highland Park Congressman Mark Kirk leading the charge to keep these terrorists where they belong --- Cuba. He says putting them in Illinois leaves us open to danger at O'Hare International Airport and the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). He even has an online petition on his U.S. Senate campaign Web site to send a message that Illinoisans don't want terrorists here: www.noterroristsinillinois.com.
Kirk and his fellow Illinois Republicans argue if the Islamic terrorists are here, they will endanger Illinois. The Hound thinks we have enough of homegrown terrorism on the streets of our cities that we can handle 200 Jihadists. Besides, they may like it here. Except in winter.
Is anyone seriously shocked that a father would use his kids to finagle his way into a "reality show"? The Hound isn't. This is what happens to people when they get that first taste of 15 minutes of fame. They then want a half hour.
Colorado authorities are weighing felony charges against Ballon Boy's dad, Richard Heene, after he reported to police his 6-year-old son drifted away in a space-alien looking helium balloon made in his back yard. During media interviews, the kid blurted out the stunt was for "the show" which got investigators digging. Now they think the whole thing was a hoax in order to get on a reality show.
After all, the family was on "Wife Swap" not once, but twice! It's enough torture to watch that program, let alone putting your family through it twice. And, let's not overlook former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attempt to get on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" show. Blago's wife, Patti, was one of those on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" where "celebrities" were dropped into the jungle and then had to cope.
It was one of the lamest shows and the celebrities didn't even include Kathy Griffin, and she's on the D-List. The Hound was forced to watch "I'm a Celebrity" for news value and had to bail after episode two. Yuck, and to think Patti nearly drowned!
A federal judge appears to be willing to allow Blago to appear with Trump in the program scheduled for March 2010 if he'll agree not to spout his innocence of trying to peddle a U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder. Prosecutors say he's trying to taint the jury pool.
What else would a reality "star" be doing now that reality has set in for the former guv?
The Illinois Gaming Board rejected Waukegan's bid to put a casino at Fountain Square because of Illinois wheeler-dealer William Cellini. So who were the city officials that vetted this process and went along with the gambling consortium behind the bid? Is this a Democrat thing when it comes to failing to find out things in people's past --- like a treasury secretary nominee who couldn't figure his own taxes?
Cellini is well known in the state capital as a well-connected businessman who has done deals with Democratic and Republican administrations throughout the years from his Springfield base. He now stands indicted on federal charges of helping to shakedown a firm seeking state business for campaign contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the old "pay to play" politics so prevalent in Illinois.
According to Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffee, Cellini and his family could have made deep six-figures if Waukegan had been awarded the casino. This is an odd finding since a member of the Waukegan group seeking the license contended Cellini had sold his stake in the consortium in 2007. Apparently, according to Jaffe, an associate of Cellini purchased the wheeler-dealer's investment for $32,450 and had to pay Cellini the balance of prior costs in the Waukegan project.
That's how things are done in Illinois and now we find out that's also the way it's done in Waukegan, which lost out to the lower casino bid offered by Des Plaines. If the city folks had done their homework, perhaps Waukegan's lakefront dreams could have been realized some time before the end of the 21st century.
As it is now, it appears to be another power broker gambit by an indicted political player.
The Hound has never been a laughingstock. Well, there was the time of mixing Red Bull with a high-octane beverage, and then butchering "My Heart Will Go On" from "The Titanic." But that was only at a karaoke bar in the county's nether regions. But Gov. Rod Blagojevich will be a laughingstock for some time, as will the State of Illinois.
Blagojevich, along with the state and us by proxy, were pillioried Tuesday night by David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien and Stephen Colbert, to name just a few. Wonder what "Saturday Night Live" has in store for Gov. Rod "This seat's for sale" Blagojevich?
The late-night talk show hosts probably will continue on Blagojevich who was nailed by the FBI for trying to peddle the open seat of President-elect Barack Obama for some six-figure coin. Guess he must have watched "Rome" on HBO. The Romans used to sell Senate seats to the highest bidders, so the guv figured he could get away with it, too. Except this isn't Rome. Heck, it's not even Rome, Ga.
His coming indictment will bring more shame and guffaws about Illinois and our corrupt governors and public officials. What's not funny is we deserve it. We're the buffoons who keep electing these political grifters.
You know the "Land of Lincoln" slogan on Illinois license plates? The Hound suggests we replace it with "Land of Thieves".
It's more appropriate, don't you think, especially after Gov. Rod "The Mod" Blagojevich was charged Tuesday with criminal conspiracy, mail fraud and anything else the U.S. attorney's office can muster between now and when Blago and his chief of staff, John Harris, go to trial.
The Blago charges are the latest in what makes The Hound proud his doghouse is in the Prairie State and not in Wisconsin. What fun do they have in the Badger State with their politicians? How many of their governors or ex-governors have done jail time? Hah! Take that Packer fans.
So to advertise our support for continued political corruption in Illinois, we should all lobby Secretary of State Jesse White, who probably will never be indicted, to change the license plate slogan to "Land of Thieves".
While some may cluck-cluck over the governor's charges of allegedly trying to sell the open U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Obama to the highest bidder being a new low in Illinois politics, The Hound says we tout our sprees of corruption proudly. There's no better place to do so than squarely on an Illinois license plate.
Besides, The Hound thinks "Land of Thieves" has a better ring than "Land of Clout".
As a hound, The Hound is irate over poor Rupert, the Chinook sled dog who got caught in a trap somewhere in either Vernon Hills or Libertyville. Whoever put that trap in a place where dogs and kids may play should have his or her nose placed in one of those traps to see how it feels.
The Hound actually is dumbfounded that trapping still exists in parts of Lake County, especially those urbane areas of Vernon Hills and Libertyville. Who knew there was enough wildlife left to trap, considering developers, with the help of municipal officials, have paved over most of the ground cover for fur-bearing animals which once were trapped for a living.
Granted, the way this economy is going, many of us may be taking up trapping to pay the bills. That and poaching deer out-of-season to make venison sausage to tide us over until we can grow vegetables. Or shoot doves or ice fish.
While The Hound is concerned about other canines who might be caught in traps, if The Hound lived in Libertyville or Vernon Hills, The Hound also would be worried about little children who could find themselves caught in the trap. And, The Hound isn't talking about a mouse trap.
The Hound has to give chops to Rex, the K-9 Kop with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The German shepherd sniffed out one of the three mopes allegedly involved in a home invasion in Round Lake Beach the other day. Good, boy!
As a fellow traveler, The Hound hopes Rex's partner, Deputy Jim McKinney, rewarded the K-9 with the wonder smell. Perhaps he got an extra dose of kibble or hopefully a sirloin steak bone to chew. Yum!
Three suspects allegedly brandished a sawed-off shotgun, and surprised a woman, took her ATM card and locked her in a bathroom in the breakfast time break-in. The woman was unhurt. Also taken, allegedly, was a Chevrolet Blazer.
Rex and McKinney arrived on the scene after deputies and Round Lake Beach police tracked a 16-year-old suspect to an area around routes 12 and 120. The juvenile apparently left a piece of clothing inside the Blazer which, allegedly, was used as a getaway vehicle.
The K-9's super sense of smell got a scent of the teen and Rex discovered him inside a dumpster at a landscape company. The suspect was taken into custody and now resides at the Depke Center in Vernon Hills. Two alleged accomplices were taken into custody late Wednesday by Round Lake Beach police. They currently reside in the Lake County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bonds.
This is one case for the good guys and a good dog.
As a taxpayer, The Hound is one of the millions of Americans who own a stake in AIG, the once-mighty insurance giant now 80 percent owned by the government. The Hound wants a free spa retreat like those company executives got less than a week after Uncle Sugar bailed them out to avoid bankruptcy.
No wonder Americans were skeptical of the bailout and afraid the fat cats would make out when the average Joe Sixpack, as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin characterizes them, is left holding the bailout bag. Read on, feather merchants.
According to The Associated Press, the American International Group, Inc., which the federal government gave a $85 million loan for that aforementioned stake, sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a tony Southern California resort. The tab included $23,380 of spa luxuries for said AIG employees. If The Hound gets a flea dip, it's a special day.
Did The Hound mention that because of getting involved in shaky sub-prime mortgage-related securities, AIG executives withheld damaging auditing reports from stockholders? Yup, smells just like Enron.
The Hound invites other AIG stakeholders to request the spa weekend at the SoCal retreat. Wonder if they'll mind if The Hound rolls around in a mud bath. They're so refreshing, yet expensive.
Forget that fence the feds are building along the Mexican border from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas. After seeing what Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran had to say about the region's immigration policy, let's build one right here along Lake-Cook Road. Curran, who just spent some time in the Lake County jail, says nearly a quarter of the inmates there are illegal aliens or aliens of questionable status.
And, he blames Chicago and Illinois authorities for letting illegal alien criminals stay in the U.S. even after they do the time for their crimes. Curran says he's had enough --- as have right-thinking people --- and wants to deport any and all illegals who happen to be patrons of the Lake County hoosegow. So far, he's convinced immigration agents to place 75 on a hold status for deportation. The overwhelmng majority --- 105 of the jail's 137 foreign-born inmates --- are from Mexico.
Wonder if Curran has discussed this issue with tough-talking Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz.?
At least this may touch off the long-awaited debate over illegal immigration some have been waiting for in this presidential election year. So far, both John McCain, who hails from Arizona, and Barack Obama, who hails from the "sanctuary" city of Chicago, have dance arm's length on the topic. They need to let voters know where they stand.
Isn't it about time the apologists for pit bulls in what is becoming Pit Bull County start to admit there's a problem with this breed. Oh, you can blame the owners, but these dogs are running wild in the streets and elected officials need to start biting back.
What has the hair on the The Hound's neck up is the latest mauling by members of the breed which took place the other day in Waukegan. A 19-year-old woman was attacked by three pit bulls which ripped off a part of her ear and chewed on her arms and legs. A relative described Kiara Lynn's arms as looking like "they were stuck in a meat grinder." She had gashes as wide as three and four inches to her skin and remains in stable condition in the hospital. She was attacked while walking past the dogs which broke free from their yard.
Officials must take action. Either banning the breed, as North Chicago has done, increasing fines for owners of the breed, making them register the dogs or keeping a bond on file. And, The Hound doesn't want to hear about how any dog could bite someone. They don't attack as viciously as the pit bull breed.
And, let's not forget the two Round Lake Beach residents who were arrested the other day after police discovered 27 pit bulls at their home. Guess they own a pet store, huh? Not! They were charged with animal cruelty for allegedly running a dog-fighting pound.
If these two mopes represent the pit bull owners of Lake County, it's time to put these folks away for along time and get tough on the breed. Sorry, pit bull owners, your friendly and lovable dogs are no longer wanted here.
