U2: Gloria (live)

October arrives tomorrow. And what better way to kick it off with the opening track from U2's sophomore effort, October, and that is "Gloria."

Here it is performed live in London in 2015.

Trump Weekly Address 9/29/17

In his weekly address President Donald J. Trump speaks of tax reform.

"Our framework will make the tax code simple, fair, and easy to understand. Under our plan, the vast majority of families will be able to file their taxes on a single sheet of paper," the president said.

"People will pay a lot less money. Single individuals will not be taxed on the first $12,000 of income earned. And a married couple will pay zero taxes on their first $24,000 of income," he added.

But before he talked taxes discussed the administration's hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Reality Loser blames Fox News for her troubles

Alleged NSA leaker Reality Winner is blaming Fox News for her problems. She's mad at her employer setting their TVs on Fox News.

She really is a loser.

Choose Marathon Pundit when shopping on Amazon

Here's another opportunity for you to say "thank you," without paying anything extra, by clicking on an Amazon ad when you are shopping.

I get a tiny commision--and that money gets plowed into the blog.

(PragerU) The Secret to Success

Michele Tafoya, NBC's Sunday Night Football sideline reporter tells us her secret to success--it's hard work.

Democratic ex-Illinois congressman convicted for third time

The Blogger Laureate of Illinois
in the 2nd congressional district

How does that old expression go? I believe it's goes this way,  "An attorney who defends himself in a case has a fool for a client." Except former Illinois congressman Mel Reynolds, a south suburban Chicago Democrat, never even attended law school. And he decided to roll his dice with a bench trial instead of  depending on a panel of Chicago area jurors, you know, the type of dopes who elect scumbags like Reynolds to Congress and who would be much more likely believe his nonsense than a federal judge.

If an Illinois corruption museum ever opens up there needs to be a wing dedicated to Reynolds.

From WGN-TV:

A judge has convicted former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds on charges he failed to file tax returns for income he made while consulting for Chicago businessmen in Africa.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman found Reynolds guilty Thursday on four misdemeanor counts. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The Democratic former Illinois congressman represented himself during his trial in Chicago. He argued the money he was paid was for expenses and didn’t need to be reported to the IRS.

Prosecutors said Reynolds knew he needed to file a tax return itemizing his expenses and income whether or not he profited.

Reynolds defeated his predecessor, Gus "Goofy Gus" Savage in an early 1990s Democratic primary race for Illinois' 2nd congressional district. Savage was a racist and an anti-Semite and whose only accomplishment in Washington was making a complete ass of himself. So Reynolds was viewed as an improvement, but he managed to be ensnared in a sex scandal with a minor. That was conviction one. Conviction two involved bank fraud and misappropriating campaign funds for personal use.

Reynolds' replacement was viewed as an improvement too, although the standards on Chicago's South Side and its Corruption Corridor were pretty low when Jesse Jackson Jr. was elected in the 2nd. He later went to prison for--wait for it--misappropriating campaign funds for personal use. Junior's wife, Sandi, also went to the Big House for her role in the scandal.

Three losers in a row in Illinois' 2nd. So far Robin Kelly, the incumbent in that office, is not embarrassing herself.

ABC 7 Chicago interviews rally attendees on tax reform plan: President Trump is "Singing the tune we want"

Wow! Watch as ABC 7 Chicago's Craig Wall interviews ordinary Indianapolis area residents who attended President Trump's address there where we introduced his tax reform. And there is no left-wing spin in his report.

"President Trump's singing the tune that we want to hear to really grow our business and feel confident," one Hoosier businessman says of Trump's proposed tax cuts.

A display of unity at tonight's Packer game? Then why are extra cops needed on field?

Tampico, IL on
Feb. 11, 2011

The expected show of unity during the performance of our National Anthem at tonight's Green Bay Packers--Chicago Bears game at Lambeau Field figures to be divisive.

The Packers are reading the wrong playbook.

Do these 300-pound millionaires fear their fans?

From WBAY-TV:

The Green Bay Police Department will have more officers on the field than usual Thursday during a planned show of unity before the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field.

The department, which is in charge of most of the security inside Lambeau Field, is working to protect people on the field from the possibility of fans throwing objects from the stands or fans who may try to get onto the field.

Police will not add additional staff to the game, but they will position more of the staffed officers onto the field.

The department says the effort is to make sure the proceedings leading up to kickoff are safe. Police say they'll also work diligently to protect fans in the stadium.

Ticket writing binge? Leftist Chicago alderman gives another reason to leave city

Abandoned home in
Lopez' ward

More people are murdered in Chicago than in New York and Los Angeles--combined. Chicago has the nation's highest sales tax rate and two years ago, to pay for generous but unfunded municipal worker pensions, Chicagoans were clobbered with the city's highest property tax hike ever. Hated red light cameras are seemingly everywhere. Chicagoans suffer with nuisance taxes on soda pop and bags at groceries.

Not surprisingly, Chicago is the only major American city losing population.

What to do?

Double down on stupid, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) suggests.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Lopez wants to hire enough new employees to give every one of the city's 50 wards its own officer to enforce quality-of-life violations that routinely go unpunished.

Chicago has a ton of laws on the books that cover everything from home-sharing, illegal parking and panhandling to noise violations, street peddling, failing to shovel snow from the sidewalk in front of your home and operating a business without the proper license.

But the problem is that most of the laws that aldermen pass are unenforced or seldom enforced.

If each ward had one employee assigned to do nothing but write tickets, Chicago neighborhoods would be cleaner and safer and the city could potentially generate many more millions than it costs to hire the new super ticket-writers, Lopez said.

The Sun-Times says it will cost already overburdened Chicago taxpayers $4.5 million to implement Lopez' plan--probably a lot more, is my guess.

But Chicagoans are finding their quality of life better--when they move away.

Related post:

Exclusive: Chicago alderman uses unattributed neighborhood histories on his campaign website

Trump removes shipping restriction to aid Puerto Rico

The media left is trying to make Hurricane Maria and its after effects into another Katrina. You know, turn this tragedy into a narrative that Republicans don't care about minorities.

It won't work with President Trump--he doesn't cower after such accusations are lobbed at him. Trump is not a racist. Neither is George W. Bush, by the way.

From CNBC:

President Donald Trump on Thursday removed shipping restrictions that critics said held back the disaster response in huirrcane battered Puerto Rico.

The Jones Act will be waived "immediately," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Trump made the decision at the request of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, she said.

At @ricardorossello request, @POTUS has authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico. It will go into effect immediately.

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 28, 2017

Rossello had asked Trump to temporarily waive the law as the island seeks food, water and other supplies following widespread devastation from Hurricane Maria.

The roughly 100-year-old Jones Act requires goods shipped between American ports to travel on U.S.-flagged ships with American crews. Critics like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., argued it had unnecessarily raised costs on Puerto Ricans in need of supplies. The island relies heavily on ports.

Man robbed, pushed into Lake Michigan in "safe" part of Chicago

The site of the attack a few years ago

This part of Chicago, just south of downtown, is considered safe.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

A man was robbed, beaten and thrown into Lake Michigan early Wednesday near the South Loop.

The 23-year-old was walking along the lakefront shortly after midnight in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive near Shedd Aquarium when several males and a female walked up and beat him, according to Chicago Police.

The suspects stole the man’s backpack and cell phone, then threw him into Lake Michigan, police said. The group then ran away.

The man was able to get out of the water on his own and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Puerto Rico guv: President and I have been in continuous contact, resources have been made available

Yes, President Donald J. Trump has been working with Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, in regards to hurricane relief--they've been in "continuous contact" and federal resources have been made available to the commonwealth.

Although would it kill the governor if he actually used the president's name?

Pitino is the unluckiest NCAA men's basketball coach

Rick Pitino, the coach of the University of Louisville's basketball team, for now, is so unlucky. Without his knowledge, a scandal involving female "dancers" entertaining recruits lands his team on probation. And the family of one of his "amateur" athletes allegedly received $100,000 to attend Louisville from Adidas. But Pitino is smart enough to be the only coach to win an NCAA hoops title at two universities. Such bad luck for such a smart man. How can this happen?

Oh, there is also a bizarre extortion case involving sex that Pitino was involved with too.

Warmbier's parents on son's arrival to USA: Blind, deaf, mangled teeth and jerking on a stretcher

A barbarian who is the son of a barbarian who is the son of a barbarian is in charge of North Korea.

From the Daily Mail:

Otto Warmbier's parents have revealed for the first time the horrific state he was in when he returned from North Korea after being tortured into a coma.

They say their 22-year-old son was blind, deaf and had mangled teeth when they first laid eyes on him after he was brought back to the US following his brutal 18 months imprisonment at the hands of Kim Jong Un's regime.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier told Fox News on Tuesday that they heard a 'howling' sound when they walked up the steps of the private medical plane carrying their son after it landed in Cincinnati, Ohio back on June 13.

'We walked over to the plane, the engines are still humming, they had just landed…when we got halfway up the steps we heard this howling, involuntary, inhuman sound. We weren't really certain what it was,' Fred said.

It was their son.

What a tragedy. Warmbier's father says the North Korean government is a terrorist regime.

More from Fox News:

Jesse joins Trump, sort of, in call for boycott of NFL

Communist poster on Chicago's
South Side last year

Guess who also wants to boycott the NFL.

From the Detroit News:

The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced Monday that he is urging fans to boycott the National Football League until team owners offer Colin Kaepernick a chance to return to the league.

Jackson said at a Detroit news conference that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback's right to speech and gainful employment was violated when NFL teams refused to sign him this season because he knelt in protest during games last season during the National Anthem.

No one has a right to play for the NFL. And First Amendment protections do not extend to employees of private employers.

As for Kaepernick's abilities, sure he was the quarterback of a Super Bowl team, the San Francisco 49ers, five years ago. But last season he was rotten as were the 49ers. Five years is a very long time in sports, particularly in the NFL where careers are very short.

Who else supports an NFL boycott?  President Donald J. Trump, who RTed a Tweet calling for one.

You can boycott our anthem

WE CAN BOYCOTT YOU! #NFL #MAGA pic.twitter.com/ryYzZnXjXE

— DONNA WARREN 🇺🇸 (@DonnaWR8) September 24, 2017

Jackson and Trump finally agree on something.

(PragerU Video) Why Don't Feminists Fight for Muslim Women?

Here's a very good PragerU question. Why don't feminists fight for the rights of Muslim women?

Aayan Hirsi Ali explains.

Chiraq: 3 dead and at least 36 wounded over weekend

The first weekend of autumn saw three people shot to death and at least 36 others wounded in Chicago. Two of the murders took place on the West Side--one in Austin, Chiraq's murder capital, and the other was in North Lawndale. The other shooting death was in Hegewisch on the Southeast Side. Shootings are rare there--and this is the first homicide of 2017 in neighborhood that borders Indiana.

From Da Tech Guy: Review: Hinterland (Y Gwyll), the series so far

Another adventure is binge-watching is over for me. From Da Tech Guy: Review: Hinterland (Y Gwyll), the series so far.

Gutfeld: Who politicized the game? Not Trump

It was the leftist media, including ESPN, who politicized sports. Not President Donald J. Trump, as Greg Gutfeld correctly asserts here.

Van Morrison: Moondance (live)

On may way home from work last I listened to Bob Stroud's "Ten-at-Ten" show. As it was the first day of fall, songs about autumn were featured. Here's one that Stroud played for his crowd--Van Morrison's "Moondance." As there aren't many songs about fall, I guess Stroud was thinking of a harvest moon. Or a Halloween full moon.

Listen as Van the Man plays a jazzed up version from 1996.

Trump Weekly Address 9/22/17

President Donald J. Trump speaks of the need for tax reform, and tax simplification, in his weekly address to the nation.

"A staggering ninety-four percent of families use professional help to do their taxes – and that’s not fair, that's not right," our president says here, correctly. "That's why under our plan, ninety-five percent of Americans will be able to file their tax return on a single page without keeping receipts, tracking paperwork, or filling out extra schedules."

Thug charged with hate crime for vandalizing pro-Trump mayor's home

I hate Illinois antifas.

The mayor of Bolingbrook, which is a far-southwest suburb of Chicago, is a supporter of President Donald J. Trump. The suspect is charged with spray-painting anarchist logos--presumably the circle-A symbol--and swastikas on her mayor's home. My guess is she didn't vote for him--the accused probably didn't vote at all.

From ABC 7 Chicago:

Rachel M. Tuszynski, 30, of the 200-block of Coral Court in southwest suburban Bolingbrook, confessed to vandalizing Mayor Roger Claar's home, driveway and the public sidewalk with spray paint, police said.

Officers discovered the damage around 7 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators quickly identified the suspect and arrested her later the same day, police said.

Tuszynski was charged with a hate crime, two counts of threatening a public official, criminal damage to property, criminal damage to government-supported property and criminal defacement of public property, all felonies. She was also charged with criminal defacement and theft, both misdemeanors.

Now Bolingbrook has someone else to be ashamed of besides wife-killing cop Drew Peterson.

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(PragerU Video) Why Self-Esteem Is Self-Defeating

"See, that's the whole point of self esteem," author and columnist Matt Walsh says in this PragerU video, "to be proud of yourself even when there is no reason to be proud of yourself."

Or to paraphrase Syndrome in The Indredibles, "If everyone is super then no one is."

Obama UN ambassador was on "unmasking" binge in 2016

The lamestream media, the Washington Compost, the New York Slimes, and the Clinton News Network is ignoring this disturbing story.

From Fox News:

Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was 'unmasking' at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016 – and even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, multiple sources close to the matter told Fox News.

Two sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said the requests to identify Americans whose names surfaced in foreign intelligence reporting, known as unmasking, exceeded 260 last year. One source indicated this occurred in the final days of the Obama White House.

The details emerged ahead of an expected appearance by Power next month on Capitol Hill. She is one of several Obama administration officials facing congressional scrutiny for their role in seeking the identities of Trump associates in intelligence reports – but the interest in her actions is particularly high.

(Video) Trump issues executive order against North Korea

There is fabulous news today. President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order "against this criminal rogue regime" and it targets individuals and companies that choose to work with the Norks.

Even better, the Chinese central bank is encouraging other ChiComm banks to abstain from engaging with North Koreans.

John Roberts of Fox News has more.

From Time: Divided Democratic Party Debates Its Future as 2020 Looms

Time, one of those Trump-hating news sites, actually performed some real journalism as it discusses the collapse of the Dems: Divided Democratic Party Debates Its Future as 2020 Looms.

Despite high murder rate, onerous taxes, and declining population, Chicago activist claims "soul of city" at stake with Obama library

Abandoned home on
the South Side

Chicago has much deeper problems than the handing out of any goodies in regards to the Barack Obama Presidential Library construction project on the South Side. As I've mentioned many times before, Chicago suffers more murders than New York and Los Angeles--combined. Taxes keep climbing, for instance, Chicagoans pay the nation's highest sales tax rate. Not surprisingly, Chicago is the only major American city losing population.

But what about the library?

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

About 300 residents packed a South Side auditorium Wednesday night to demand that the promise of jobs, economic development and other benefits of the Obama presidential library center be put in writing.

The activists and residents want a community benefits agreement, something many say will protect the neighborhoods and people the center may displace.

"The soul of our city is at stake," said Jay Travis, of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. “Will Chicago be home to all people regardless of race and income or will we sit back and watch city government systematically remove us?"

As I noted above, people are removing themselves already.

On this day in 1937: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit published

The world was made safer for hairy-footed short people in Middle-Earth and beyond on this day 80 years ago. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was published.

(PragerU) Are Some Cultures Better than Others?

In his speech in July in Warsaw, President Donald J. Trump spoke proudly of western civilization.

We write symphonies. We pursue innovation. We celebrate our ancient heroes, embrace our timeless traditions and customs, and always seek to explore and discover brand-new frontiers. We reward brilliance. We strive for excellence, and cherish inspiring works of art that honor God. We treasure the rule of law and protect the right to free speech and free expression.

And in this latest PragerU video, Dinesh D'Souza asks, "Are some cultures better than others?"

Yes.

Post soda tax: Cook County pop sales plummet

Keep up the good work, my fellow patriots. if you live, as I do, in Crook County, Illinois, don't buy soda pop here. Abstain or drive outside the county to make your sweetened beverage purchases.

Punish Toni Taxwinkle as she uses our tax dollars to build her socialist empire.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Some retailers have seen their beverage sales decline by around 47 percent, according to numbers released to Can the Tax Coalition from the county's retailers.

The coalition, which receives funding from the American Beverage Association, teamed up with stores from the Illinois Food Retailers Association. Of the 32 stores that opted to share sales data with the coalition, 24 said that they had experienced sales declines of more than 20 percent. Thirteen of the retailers reported declines of more than 30 percent, and five said that their beverage sales have declined by 40 percent or more with the highest reported at 47 percent.

Some retailers have seen their beverage sales decline by around 47 percent, according to numbers released to Can the Tax Coalition from the county's retailers.

The coalition, which receives funding from the American Beverage Association, teamed up with stores from the Illinois Food Retailers Association. Of the 32 stores that opted to share sales data with the coalition, 24 said that they had experienced sales declines of more than 20 percent. Thirteen of the retailers reported declines of more than 30 percent, and five said that their beverage sales have declined by 40 percent or more with the highest reported at 47 percent.

(Video) Stopping the money flow to North Korea

One way to destroy the North Korean government is to kill off the money supply, including limiting the number of guest workers that come from there. Most of their pay goes to the rogue regime.

Heather Nauert explains in this Fox Business clip.

Bolton on Trump UN speech: Best of his presidency

President Donald J. Trump gave a magnificent speech at the United Nations this morning, one that former UN ambassador John Bolton called the best of his presidency.

Trump slammed socialism, dictatorships, North Korea, and Iran.

Make the World Great Again.

Marathon Pundit is where you need to buy when shopping Amazon

Oh boy, here we are, another Marathon Pundit Amazon reminder. There are expenses involved with this blog and one way--which will cost you nothing extra--to say thanks is to click on an Amazon ad when you are planning to purchase from Amazon.com.

Take a look at today's Gold Box specials!

1962 pink Pontiac Tempest

Pictured here is a highly-customized 1962 Pontiac Tempest in pink--with a purple roof.

The original Tempest was built from 1961 until 1970.

Trump at UN vows to "totally destroy North Korea" if USA forced to defend itself

A new sheriff is in town. One who doesn't threaten rogue states with more UN Security Council gatherings.

It's about time.

From CNNwire:

President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the US would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said during his first address to the UN General Assembly.

"It is time for North Korea to realize that its denuclearization is its only responsible future," Trump said.

Trump also warned that Kim Jong Un — whom he again referred to as "rocket man" — "is on a suicide mission for himself."

Trump UN speech will be a yuge one

An even better Donald J. Trump speech to the UN would be for one of New York's biggest landlords to tell the expensive debating club, "You're evicted."

Well, he can always do that next year.

From Yahoo!

President Trump will use his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly to condemn Iran, call for global action on North Korea, and unapologetically defend his nationalistic "America First" stance before wary world leaders, administration officials said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping the annual diplomatic crush in New York, but Trump will at least implicitly criticize Beijing in his Tuesday speech for not doing enough to tighten an economic vise on North Korea.

Trump "will speak in extremely tough terms about the North Korean menace and the threat it poses to our security and the security of all the nations in that room," a senior White House official told reporters. "And he will talk about, as well, the enablement of the North Korean regime and what that means too.:

It's not clear whether the president, who has repeatedly denounced President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, will declare whether he intends to certify that Tehran is complying with the deal by an Oct. 15 deadline. But he will deliver a message aimed at the Islamic republic’s people, the official said.

#Chiraq: 10 dead and at least 31 shot over weekend as city records 500th homicide

Over this past weekend Chicago recorded its 500th homicide. For the weekend there ten people were shot to death and at least 31 others were wounded.

Among those murdered over the weekend were a group of four people killed, including a pregnant woman, by a high-powered rifle in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side. Three of the dead were documented gang members. There were three other Southwest Side murders.

Other murders include three in South Shore on the South Side and one in Austin on the West Side.

From Da Tech Guy: Crook County is what happens when you elect a leftist to run it

True, very true: Crook County is what happens when you elect a leftist to run it.

Classic car: 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood

In the 1980s Cadillacs were as big as aircraft carriers. And their engines were just as powerful too.

Here's a 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood.

(Video) Barney Fife tries to recite the preamble to the Constitution

Tomorrow marks the 230th anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution.

In a rare lighter turn here at Marathon Pundit, watch as Barney Fife struggles with preamble to the Constitution in this classic clip from the Andy Griffith Show.

Barney, on the other hand, knows more about the Constitution than most college graduates today.

President Donald Trump Weekly Address 9/15/17

President Donald J. Trump spoke of Americans coming together as we aid those effected by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.

And he also commended our brilliant Founding Fathers.

"This week the United States celebrates the 230th Anniversary of the signing of our remarkable Constitution," Trump tells us.

"The fifty-five Delegates to the Grand Convention in Philadelphia met from May to September of 1787, he reminds his fellow Americans. "They gave us an incredible gift: a vision of the sovereign and self-governing people to control their own affairs. And they gave us a constitutional system that protected our liberties by enshrining the Rule of Law."

2017 Honda Civic Type R in black

There is your much-admired Blogger Laureate of Illinois with a rare Honda Type R 2017 Civic in black--with black and red interior.

(PragerU) If You Live in Freedom, Thank the British Empire

Sure the British Empire was hardly perfect, my ancestors who emigrated from Ireland would have even a stronger opinion on that, but if you live in a free nation, you can thank the British.

Author H.W. Crocker explains in the latest PragerU video.

The Brits were well ahead of the curve in abolishing slavery and former British colonies are much more likely to be democracies, unlike those of France, Portugal, or Belgium.

Another terror attack in London, Islamic State celebrates

This is the fifth terror ISIS terror attack to strike Great Britain this year.

From the Daily Mail:

Police are today hunting for the 'bucket bomber' who tried to blow up a rush hour Tube train amid claims the terror suspect is armed with knives and may have left other devices.

The crude IED could have killed dozens but failed to properly detonate and sent a 'wall of fire' through the carriage injuring at least 22 people including a ten-year-old boy.

Terrified passengers were seen covered in blood with scorched hands, legs, faces and hair – others suffered crush injuries during a 'human stampede' as they 'ran for their lives' at Parsons Green station in west London at 8.20am.

Photographs show what experts believe is a 'pretty unsophisticated' bomb in a flaming white bucket inside a Lidl freezer bag with Christmas lights protruding out of the top - a type of fuse encouraged by ISIS in its online manuals and magazines.

The Islamic State is celebrating the subway bombing.

ILL-inois: Ex-supt Wyllie outsmarted by feds, indicted for fraud

Lincoln-Way Central
Marching Band

This guy Wyllie is a model educator for corrupt Illinois. Really, I mean it.

And I don't believe the feds are finished with Lincoln-Way schools. Wyllie couldn't have possibly have been acting alone.

But don't forget--that property tax money, that bond revenue, it's "for the kids." Oh, and a dog training school. Maybe Lincoln-Way students should be believed when they tell teachers, "A dog ate my homework."

Too bad Wylie is 79--if found guilty he won't get a Rod Blagojevich-type 14 year sentence.

From the Daily Southtown:

Lawrence Wyllie, the former Lincoln-Way superintendent who led the south suburban district into academic prominence, then set it on a course of fiscal ruin, has been charged with fraud.

Federal prosecutors allege Wyllie, 79, hid the "true financial health" of Lincoln-Way High School District 210 by misusing millions in bond money and fraudulently spent school district funds on personal projects, including Superdog, a dog-training school he ordered built.

Wyllie also pocketed more than $30,000 in unused vacation days and a retirement bonus he wasn't entitled to, prosecutors charged.

In 1989, Wyllie became Lincoln-Way superintendent and oversaw the district's expansion from a single school in New Lenox to four different campuses before retiring in 2013. Educators across the state considered Wyllie a leader in school finance and praised Lincoln-Way for its high achievement while spending less per pupil than most other districts.

But as Will Farrell famously said to a department store Santa Claus, the autocratic and egomaniacal Wyllie was "sitting on a throne of lies."

And to think just this afternoon I was wondering myself, "It's been months since there has been a juicy ILL-inois public corruption indictment." Well, the drought is over.

Wyllie is collecting a $300,000 annual pension.

Steyn: Hillary is like 'O.J. looking for real killers'

Like O.J. Simpson and his search for the "real killers" of his ex-wife, Hillary Clinton needs to look no further then the reflection in her mirror.

Mark Steyn explains.

Hey Washington Post: All White House press secretaries lie for their boss

Whether it's Pierre Salinger (John F. Kennedy), Ron Ziegler (Richard M. Nixon), or Dee Dee Myers (Bill Clinton), all White House press secretaries lie for their boss, who is the president of the United States. All of them. Someone needs to let the man child who writes for The Fix blog for the Washington Post, Callum Borchers, about this reality of falsehood. Read his post if you must: Sean Spicer basically admitted that he was willing to lie for Trump,

Where does the Washington Compost find these writers? Probably at the so-called elite colleges and universities.

IG: Crook County Jail school in Chicago falsifying credits and attendance

Fire the principal? How 'bout pressing charges against her? For fraud, misuse of taxpayer funds...

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

The alternative high school operated by the Chicago Public Schools inside the Cook County Jail has been falsifying credits and attendance for hundreds of students for years, cheating some of the city’s most at-risk students of an education, CPS’ inspector general has found.

In a report Tuesday detailing a litany of academic fraud, Inspector General Nicholas Schuler called the York Alternative High School at 2700 S. California “a credit mill.” Schuler is urging CPS to fire its principal, Sharnette Sims.

York has routinely granted attendance and course credit to students who already had left the jail or been moved to solitary confinement, where they couldn’t attend classes, according to Schuler. In one case, he said, a student who had gotten out of jail and was killed a week later was still being listed as attending class despite being dead, Schuler found.

Laura Ingraham: Trump exposed the Clintons for who they are

Laura Ingraham tells Sean Hannity here that Donald Trump exposed the Clintons for what they really are--amoral.

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Trump approval numbers rising

While his disapproval numbers are higher than his approval ones, Donald J. Trump didn't need high ones of the latter to win the presidency.

Still, this latest poll is good news from the president.

From AOL:

After suffering from depressed approval ratings during the summer, President Donald Trump just saw one of his biggest poll bumps in recent months.

According to the latest Rasmussen daily tracking poll, Trump's approval rating currently hit 44 percent on Monday after cresting to 46 percent late last week. That's the highest approval rating he's seen in that survey since early June, and up about eight points from his low of 36 percent in early August when his approval dropped below former President Barack Obama's threshold.

The latest poll also shows 55 percent of likely U.S. voters disapprove of Trump's job performance, with 45 percent strongly disapproving and 27 percent strongly approving.

Former Obama and Clinton official Panetta praises Trump admin’s response to hurricanes

Watch as Leon Panetta, who held multiple posts with the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations, praise the work of the Donald J. Trump administration in response to hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

(Photos) Moraine Hills State Park

On the Sunday before Labor Day Mrs. Marathon Pundit and I visited Moraine Hills State Park near McHenry, Illinois.

There's your beloved Blogger Laureate of Illinois.

And there is the First Lady of Illinois Bloggerdom.

But what about those flowers?

If yellow is your favorite color--it's mine--then late summer and early autumn are for you. Yellow wildflowers dominate prairie landscapes this time of year in the Midwest. Pictured are woodland sunflowers.

It's not September without goldenrod. Sunflowers and goldrenrod are the dominant flowers this time of year in northern Illinois.

The common evening primrose is an aberration. Its blooms are open from evening until early morning, not the other way around as many other flowering plants do it. Also, it takes two years for the common evening primrose to flower, so please don't pick the flowers!

Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois have many glacial lakes. This one, Lake Defiance, is one of the few that have not encountered development. It was formed when a large chunk of ice broke away from a glacier.

Here's a closeup of those lily pads.

Yes, Illinois has hills and what would Moraine Hills be without them? Moraines are glacial features, they consist of dirt and boulders left behind when the glaciers retreated.

I'm not sure if there are dead green ash trees past the goldenrod but they are deceased all the same.

Now we move to purple wildflowers. Above is fall phlox.

Those are New England asters.

With this lavender beauty, you twist a bloom one way, it turns back. You twist it another way, it still turns back. That's why it's called the obedient plant. But shouldn't it be instead called the disobedient plant?

Illinois doesn't have any mountains, so the America The Beautiful "purple mountains majesty" won't be found in the Prairie State. But we have purple fields.

There are wetlands at Moraine Hills.

That's Yellow Head Marsh, named for the Yellow-head blackbird which are said to live there. We didn't see any.

And with a bit of shadow you see Pikes Marsh.

Until this summer I hadn't seen a great blue lobelia, also known as the blue cardinal plant. Now I've seen it twice.

The orange jewelweed should be, in my opinion, called the mosquito flower. Every time I get near its tiny blossoms to bake a picture I get attacked by these bloodsucking nuisances.

Illinois' man-made disaster is its budget debacle. The Land of Lincoln spends more than it takes in and it has one of the worst-funded public pension systems of the 50 states. So of course we end up with spots like this, Opossum Run. Nearby, in a parking lot nearby that is open, I saw the only water fountain--it was broken--other than the one at the visitors center, which was closed. Near Pikes Marsh a wooden staircase is blocked off because an oak tree fell on it. The dead tree has been there for weeks, maybe months. What would Abraham Lincoln think?

A clump of smooth sumac seeds is called a bob. You can look it up!

Mrs. Marathon Pundit in the woods.

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