Columnist Ray Hanania speaks to members of United Business Association of Midway (March 7)

Book Ray Hanania as your guest speaker by visiting www.theMediaOasis.com

Radio Chicagoland goes 24/7 with latest shows

If you missed a Sunday broadcast of Radio Chicagoland on WSBC AM 1240 or on WCFJ AM 1470, you can now listen to the rebroadcast on a continuous loop anytime on our new rebroadcast service.
CLICK HERE to listen  to the show live when it is on the air Sundays from 8 until 10 am or listen to a continuous rebroadcast of the show all day every day.
We will also be adding rebroadcasts of Radio Baladi shows between rebroadcasts of Radio Chicagoland Shows. Once a rebroadcast of the most recent Radio Chicagoland is completed, the most recent Radio Baladi (the one hour Arab focused show on WNZK AM 690 in Detroit) will broadcast. That will continue going back and forth until the live show every Sunday of Radio Chicagoland.
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Radio Chicagoland topics Sunday March 18: Chicago Public Schools controversy; American soldiers massacres Afghanee civilians; Syrian war crimes; GOP Presidential elections Tuesday

We'll be talking about these Topics SUNDAY (8-10 AM Chicago):
Radio Chicagoland topics Sunday March 18: Chicago Public Schools controversy; American soldiers massacres Afghanee civilians; Syrian war crimes;  GOP Presidential elections Tuesday

(Don't forget to change your clocks late Saturday night one hour ahead)

- 8 AM The $147,000-a-year Chicago Public Schools Chief of Food Service Louise Esaian has been accused of accepting favors from the systems largest food servic eprovider. Should she be fired. Schoop Board CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have recommended she be fired. Is that enough? Read Tribune's story? 

- 8:30 AM Why is the United States not taking a more aggressive stand to stop the massacre of civilians in Syria as it has done in other Middle East countries? Should the US intervene to arrest and prosecute Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for war crimes against humanity? 

- 9 AM US Army Sgt. Robert Bales goes berserk and massacres 20 Afghanee civilians in a brutal unprovoked assault. Is he any different than Nidal Malik Hasan who murdered fellow soldiers and hospital staff at Ft. Hood on Nov. 5, 2009. (Read about the Hasan massacre). Is there a double standard in how we prosecute and treat mass murderers. If they are Arab American they are terrorists, but if they are American they are "lone gunmen" prone to insanity because of outside pressures. Was he provoked by hatred and extremist ideology from rightwing fanatics in the United States who have fed hatred and the past wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has charged that he believes more than one American officer may have been involved in murdering the 16 Afghanee civilians, including womena nd children. Read about the Bales massacres. 

- 9:30 AM Who is going to win the Republican Primary for president Tuesday, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul? And which are the most important races in Chicagoland Tuesday. We talk about other races including the battle for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Click to read my column on the top races in Chicagoland. 

Other issues: Why the low voter turnout? Former Governor Rod Blagojevich goes to prison.

We talk politics and issues in the news every morning on our simulcast radio shows on WCFJ AM 1470 covering the Chicago Southlands and Northwest Indiana, along with our Chicagoland broadcast on WSBC AM 1240 ... taking calls from listeners on all topics so call in at 773-792-1240 

Read candidate statements of all candidates from Chicago Tribune's extensive collection ... CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Live on Radio every Sunday 8-10 AM CST

Listen to the radio show,
Sunday 8-10 AM on WSBC AM 1240 AM in Chicagoland & Northern Illinois
and WCFJ 1470 AM in the Chicago Southlands, South Suburbs and Northwest Indiana
Ray Hanania also hosts Radio Baladi  in Detroit on Fridays at 8 am EST.

THE RAY HANANIA SHOW
            call 773-792-1240

Also, catch these Middle East focused radio programs online:

RADIO BALADI: every Friday morning at 7 AM CST or 8 AM EST in Detroit on WNZK AM 690 Radio live and on the Internet. Go to the web site at www.RadioBaladi.com to listen to past show podcasts. Click here to go to Radio Baladi

Patlak lackie poison pens lies at the Examiner.com

Patlak lackie poison pens lies at the Examiner.com

John Dyslin describes himself on his LinkedIn.com professional profile as an “Analyst at the Cook County Board of Review.”

But he forgets to mention that in his poison pen diatribe he wrote bashing Cook County Review candidate Sean Morrison and Morrison’s chief ally pro-Taxpayer champion Cook County Board Commissioner Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman.

The column is on the Examiner.com, an online news site that I have also written for in the past.

I bet if the editors knew that Dyslin works for Patlak as a paid employee at the Cook County Board of Review, they might have taken a different perspective on his column bashing Morrison and Gorman.

In his profile, he also brags that he currently works to “Analyze residential assessment appeals, attend voter outreach events and assist in some communication efforts for Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak.”

In his column, where he hides his true identity, Dyslin falsely accuses Gorman of backing former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and the increase in the sales tax that Stroger passed just before being booted out of office by angry taxpayers.

The truth is Gorman led the fight against the sales tax increase. Her persistence introducing ordinance repealing the sales tax hike three times resulted in the entire one cent increase being rolled back.

Imagine how desperate Patlak must be to falsely claim that Gorman supported Stroger. Are you kidding me? Gorman was Stroger’s worst nightmare on the Cook County Board. In fact, one could easily argue that Stroger lost his bid for re-election in a large part because of the battle Gorman waged to fight the sales tax increase.

But Dyslin’s ethical lapse in identifying his relationship to Patlak, Morrison’s chief rival, exposes how desperate Patlak must really be. Patlak wouldn’t resort to all the mudslinging that has characterized his campaign if Patlak were leading Morrison in the polls. In fact, the polls show that Morrison is leading Patlak in the March 20 Republican Primary.

Part of the reason is that Morrison ran once before against Patlak. But this time, Morrison has Gorman’s backing and every taxpayer in Cook County is grateful to Gorman for having saved them thousands of dollars in unnecessary sales tax spending.

Hiding your political alliances is not ethical. When I write columns about clients who I work for, which is only occasionally, I point it out clearly and upfront.

But I don’t work for Gorman. I admire her. I took the time to closely examine her work and realized that she is the real thing, someone who promises to fight for the taxpayers and actually fights for the taxpayers. Gorman is refreshing. And the voters and the taxpayers know it, too.

I never met Morrison or Patlak before this election contest. They both seem like nice people although you really have to wonder about Patlak when you look at some of the people he hangs around with.

The race for the Cook County Board of Review happens to be the most important race Republican’s will decide on Tuesday March 20 along with deciding who is going to represent the party in the race to defeat President Barack Obama, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.

Dyslin argues that the race between Morrison and Patlak will define the face of the Cook County Republican Organization. He's right, but for the wrong reasons. The fact is Morrison and Gorman are trying to save the Republican Party from Patlak's rightwing fanatic pals.

Patlak has tried to make that the cornerstone of his shallow campaign, also arguing falsely that Morrison and Gorman are undermining the Cook County Republican Party. Patlak’s only real argument doesn’t hold water. If anything, Gorman put the spine back in the Cook County Republican Party. It’s Patlak’s pals, like the Tea Party extremists and the fanatic writers at the power hungry Illinois Review who are destroying the Republican Party.

Dyslin rambles on and on attacking Morrison and Gorman in his column. He’s not very talented at writing, just throwing mud. The kind of mud that characterizes Patlak’s campaign literature. In one personal attack against Gorman that had me belly laughing, Dyslin wrote, awkwardly, that Gorman and Morrison are “two big liars, and distorters of truth and reality.” Seriously Dyslin, “who learned you English?” The Illinois Review?

By the way, Dyslin also brags on his LinkedIn profile that he’s a precinct captain for the Wheeling Township Republican Organization. Isn’t that the place where Patlak is also a member of the organization there.

Dyslin is a lot like Fran Eaton at the Illinois Review, who throws around pejorative attacks against individuals while avoiding any of the issues.

Dyslin does claim to have some “writing” experience. For example, on his Linkedin Account, Dyslin says he is a freelance writer “at the Indepedent Freelancer.”

Well, Dyslin may be “indepedent,” whatever that means, but he is far from independent. And he is far from being honest, too.

The Examiner.com should remove Dyslin’s column and give him a lecture about not pretending to be someone that he is not, and about hiding his political alliances in order to help his political pals at the expense of the Examiner.com’s reputation.

Ray Hanania

www.hanania.com

Cook County Republican Party Releases Statement on the Arrest of State Representative Derrick Smith

Cook County Republican Party Releases Statement on the Arrest of State Representative Derrick Smith

State Representative Derrick Smith was arrested Tuesday on charges of accepting a $7,000 bribe to steer a state grant to a daycare facility.

Chicago, IL — March 14, 2012— Cook County Republican Party Chairman, Sig Vaznelis, released a statement today condemning the alleged activities of Democrat State Representative Derrick Smith, who was arrested on Tuesday on charges of accepting a $7,000 bribe to steer a state grant to a daycare facility.

The Chicago Democrat’s arrest comes after a nearly three-month joint investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI.  According to the complaint, Smith demanded a cash bribe, saying, “I don’t want no trace of it.”

“I am incredibly disturbed by the allegations put forward today by the U.S. Attorney,” said Sig Vaznelis, Chairman of the Cook Republican Party.  “Representative Smith hasn’t even been in the General Assembly for a year, and already has managed to land himself in hot water for allegedly doing the kinds of things that have made Chicago the butt of political jokes for decades.”

“After nearly 30 years of uninterrupted, one-party rule by the Chicago Democrats, it’s not surprising that we see allegations of yet another example of the corruption that’s turned our state into one of the worst-run states in the U.S.  Illinois voters deserve better than a state hijacked by the Chicago Democrats and turned into a personal piggy bank for bribes and kick-backs.”

“I have faith that the complaint filed against Representative Smith will be handled fairly, and I hope for all Illinois residents that we see a verdict reached soon.”

Smith is seeking re-election in the March 20^th Illinois primary.

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The Cook County Republican Party’s mission is to support and maximize Cook County Republican voter registration and to develop an active precinct organization - all in preparation for current and future elections. Learn more about what we’re doing to transform Illinois for the better at www.CookRepublicanParty.com.

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Statement from Governor Pat Quinn in Support of Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

December 1, 2010

Statement from Governor Pat Quinn in Support of Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

CHICAGO - "I am pleased to support Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. for re-election. Time and again, Congressman Jackson has delivered for the residents of the 2nd District in Illinois. As a key member of House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Jackson has secured more than $800 million in federal funding for important infrastructure, health care, education, transit, housing, community centers and other projects.

"Since taking office, the Congressman has worked tirelessly to bring a third airport to the Chicagoland area, which will serve as a strong economic engine and create jobs and development throughout the region. Working together with all the stakeholders, we are moving closer to that goal every day. 

"Congressman Jackson deserves to go back to Washington D.C. and help President Obama continue to fight for jobs, economic recovery and everyday Americans."

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The disgusting tactics of Dan Patlak's campaign

Earlier this week, as many of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter know, my sister Linda experienced a life-and-death crisis. She continues to recover int he hospital although her challenges are many. Her health is in serious risk but the doctors are doing everything they can to help her. She remains on life-support and her condition is precarious. It can change at any time. (Thank you ALL for the well-wishes and prayers!)
So, you can imagine when at about 8:39 last night (Wednesday) I had received a phone call that the Caller-ID identified as coming from "Glenn Dale MD" at the number "240-556-9966."
I had just spoken with the nurses at the hospital and the call shocked me, thinking that something had changed. But when I picked up the phone thinking I was being called by a Doctor -- "MD" -- instead I heard a creepy sounding voice asking me to "Vote for Dan Patlak" for the Board of Review.
I have heard of the deceitful tactics of some campaigns trying to do robocalls to make it more likely for a homeowner at 8:40 in the evening to answer the telephone. Putting the letters "MD" after a name scares people into believing they have to answer the call from the unknown number, disarming their natural instincts to suspect any calls that come late at night -- especially around election time -- and from numbers they don't recognize.
It was disgusting to listen as the voice on the line turned out not to be a doctor, but instead was a telemarketer hired by Patlack to promote his candidacy.
Patlak must be desperate. Patlak sent out a brochure, as you have read here, in which he splattered his own face with "mud" to build sympathy and accuse his opponent, Sean Morrison of "throwing mud." But criticism and holding elected officials accountable is NOT throwing mud, Mr. Patlak. It's called accountability and that's exactly what the public should demand from their elected officials.
While Patlak is pretending to be a victim to build up sympathy and smear the good name of Sean Morrison, Morrison is out there trying to play by the rules, questioning Patlak's associations and political ties to sleazy groups like the "Illinois Review," the mud-slinging extremist conservative online blog that attacks people personally as their form of "critical analysis."
I received a robocall from Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman earlier that day and it was respectful. The number was local. t was made at 1:22 pm in the early afternoon so it could go to voice mail, rather than waking people up late at night with scares. Gorman is backing Morrison and she showcases the hard work he has done over the years and his ideas to improve the situation for taxpayers as she has done too.
Patlak is going to argue, of course, that the "MD" doesn't stand for Doctor but rather Maryland. Even then, why the hell would someone running for Cook County Board of Review (formerly the Board of Tax Appeals) hire out a non-Illinois firm in another state like Maryland to make the calls unless that company sold them on the promise: "Psssst! Hey, buddy! If you use our telemarketing firm, most normal people will think that a doctor is calling their home and they will pick up the phone. Tee Hee! Isn't that sneaky? Kind of like what Patlak and the Illinois Review are all about? Tee hee!"
Pathetic. Cheap election tactic. Typical of what you might expect from Mr. Patlak.
-- Ray Hananiawww.hanania.com

Related articles

• More on Fran Eaton and the Illinois Review's campaign to push Tea Party candidates (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Fran Eaton and the real creepy politics of the Southwest suburbs (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Now its Cook County 'Board of Whatever' (rayhanania.wordpress.com)

Family of Maureen Murphy slams Patlak's exploitation of her name

Dan Patlak has been mailing brochures throwing mud on himself, avoiding the issues and attacking his challenger Sean Morrison. But it seems that Patlak's mud has provoked anger from across the suburban district in the Board of Whatever race (Board of Review).

Patlak has used the images of a lot of past Republicans to portray himself as continuing the legacy of the Republican Party which has watched as extremists and fanatics including those in the Tea Party and at the hate-filled online publication the Illinois Review have undermined and brought the Cook County GOP down.

He used the images of former Cook County Sheriff Jim O'Grady, and then former Cook County State's Attorney Jack O'Malley. He put his own picture up along with the rest including the picture of the beloved former member of the Board of Review, Maureen Murphy.

Maureen passed-away in 2008. She had been a school board member at Evergreen Park High school, then the legislator from the area and then committeeman of the powerful Worth Township Republican Organization succeeding another truly great Republican Herb Huskey. Back in those days, the Republicans were united by principles and moderation and commonsense.

Today,, morons like the Illinois Review have hijacked the Republican Party fueled by the vicious hatred of some Tea Party activists whoa re more interested in promoting themselves than the principled foundations of the Republican Party that O'Grady, O'Malley and Murphy once represented so proudly and effectively. There are very few Republicans like that and include Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman and Sean Morrison. Morrison and Gorman represent the moderate Republican Party movement. They focus on real issues like fighting unjustified sales tax increases while Illinois Review, their close friend Patlak, and the Tea Party focus more on incendiary political vitriol and diatribes.

Illinois Review doesn't care about strengthening the Republican Party. They only care about taking over and the power they perceive as the prize.

But abusing the name of great Republicans isn't the only trespass of Mr. Patlak. He received this angry letter from the son of Maureen Murphy, Shaun Murphy who is now the Worth Township Republican Committeeman.

PATLAK MISLEADING VOTERS
Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak recently sent out a campaign mailing which included a picture of my mother, Maureen Murphy who passed away in 2008. Throughout his campaign, Mr. Patlak has repeatedly mentioned Maureen's work for the taxpayers in an attempt to associate himself with her and her record. Time and time again, he has used her name as an implied endorsement, a shield, and has even used her as a scapegoat, depending upon the audience. The complete lack of judgment Mr. Patlak has shown in bringing my mother's name into this race is disappointing. The Murphy family wants to make it clear that although he is using Maureen's name, our family is not endorsing Mr. Patlak in his campaign.
Shaun Murphy
Evergreen Park, IL

Maureen Murphy was a one-of-a-kind person. A truly considerate and kind leader. She was pragmatic, smart and dedicated to the local Republican Organization. Not everyone supported her or her kind of thinking. She worked for respect rather than using bullying the way the Illinois Review and Patlak are throwing mud in their vicious campaigns to slander anyone who dares to stand up to the garbage politics.

She deserves better than to be dragged into Patlak's mud-throwing, ugly election campaign.

-- Ray Hanania

www.hanania.com

Related articles

• More on Fran Eaton and the Illinois Review's campaign to push Tea Party candidates (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Now its Cook County 'Board of Whatever' (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Fran Eaton and the real creepy politics of the Southwest suburbs (rayhanania.wordpress.com)

Radio Chicagoland expands into Southland Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Radio Chicagoland which is broadcast every Sunday from 8 am until 11 am is now expanding its broadcast signal on two stations. Radio Chicagoland will now simulcast live on both WSBC AM 1240 and WCFJ AM 1470 radio stations.
The call-in number remains 773-792-1240 and the web site remains www.RadioChicagoland.com. But while WSBC AM 1240 broadcasts mainly to Chicagoland's North, Northwest, West and near Southwest suburbs (as far south as Palos), the new radio station WCFJ AM 1470 will now include listeners in the far Southlands and Northwest Indiana. WCFJ is based on Chicago Heights and will include southwest suburban communities from Orland Park south.
"Listeners in Orland Park should be able to chose between either station but now the new station will open up the popular political and current events talk radio program to many new communities including Tinley Park, Frankfort, Homewood Flossmoor, Chicago Heights and also into Northwest Indiana," said radio host Ray Hanania.
The program focuses on the hottest topics in the news and includes a special interest in regional, national and international politics.
Kheir Fakhreldin co-hosts during the program from studios located in Northwest Chicago at 5625 N. Milwaukee Avenue.
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MWRD selects disinfection technologies for the Calumet and North Side Water Reclamation Plants

For immediate release

March 1, 2012

MWRD selects disinfection technologies for the Calumet and North Side Water Reclamation Plants

Chlorination, ultraviolet irradiation offer best alternatives at least cost

Using a triple bottom line approach that considers economic, environmental and social criteria, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) has completed its evaluation of available disinfection technologies and has recommended the optimal technology for disinfecting the North Side and Calumet Water Reclamation Plant effluents.

The processes selected are chlorination/dechlorination for Calumet and ultraviolet irradiation (UV) with low pressure high output lamps for North Side. The estimated capital costs for construction at the two plants totals just over $109 million, less than 50 percent of the anticipated cost.

This announcement comes eight months after the MWRD Board of Commissioners made a policy decision to implement disinfection at the two plants.  An internal task force, which included staff from the departments of Monitoring and Research, Engineering, and Maintenance and Operations, systematically evaluated all available disinfection technologies and reviewed academic research and industry practice literature. The task force also performed bench scale studies, monitored existing plant effluent, reviewed site conditions, and contacted industry experts, manufacturers and suppliers, and other large wastewater treatment agencies. In addition, the task force gathered data about design parameters, operational needs, maintenance requirements, and annual and capital costs.

David St. Pierre, MWRD Executive Director, said that once the Board of Commissioners made its policy decision to proceed with disinfection, the task force worked swiftly to ensure disinfection will come online at the same time as the Thornton reservoir to maximize the water quality impact for the Cal-Sag channel.

According to St. Pierre, differences in existing infrastructure and hydraulics at the two plants require that a combination of methods be implemented as the basis of final design and construction of the facilities.

To fund the new projects, the MWRD restructured its Capital Improvement Program and adjusted operational efficiency goals to reserve $240 million in the budget for construction; however, based on task force results, the estimated costs for capital is roughly $109 million.

“The task force reviewed combinations of technologies to treat baseline and peak flows to maximize our use of resources and as a result, we are able to do what is needed for less than half the cost of the original estimate,” said St. Pierre.

“We looked at the most economical processes so the MWRD can provide excellent customer service at the least cost,” said Commissioner Cynthia M. Santos, Finance Committee Chairman. “Now that the best disinfection alternatives have been selected for the two plants, the projects will proceed to the design phase.”

The Board’s next steps will be to hire an engineering consultant to do the design work so that construction can start in 2013 or early 2014. “We want to have construction completed by December 2015 and disinfection in service for the 2016 recreational season,” said Commissioner Santos.

Agreements with design consultants for each plant will be submitted to the Board of Commissioners for award in April 2012, and final designs will be completed by March 2013.  A contract for construction will be awarded by October 2013.

Concurrent with the design phase, pilot testing of the proposed UV system for North Side will be conducted for at least three months. Not only does the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approve design criteria based on pilot testing, important information regarding appropriate UV dosing over a range of hydraulic conditions will be documented.

More information about the MWRD can be found at www.mwrd.org.

Our water environment…Take it personally.

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Established in 1889, the MWRD (www.mwrd.org) is an award-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for wastewater treatment and stormwater management in Cook County, Illinois.

CONTACT:

Allison Fore

Public Affairs Specialist, MWRD

111 E. Erie Street, Chicago, IL  60611

allison.fore@mwrd.org