Celebrity Sightings: Kanye West's FatBurger coming to Orland Park

Orland Park has a lot of celebrities. Crains Chicago Business reports that the first "Fatburger" owned by hip-hop/rapper and George Bush-critic Kanye West will be opening sometime next month in Orland Park. The 2,353-square-foot, 74-seat restaurant will be at 15110 S. La Grange Road, near the intersection of 143rd Street.

Kanye owns "KW Foods LLC," which has rights throgh the Santa Monica, Calif.-based burger chain Fatburger Corp, to develop 10 Fatburgers in the Chicago area with the first in Orland Park and a second in Evergreen Park next year.

Orland is a magnet for celebrities, especially sports and entertainers. We have lots of them including Buddy Guy, a few Bears and Sox players, and, if you haven't see the entourage following R Kelly (Robert Sylvester, web site http://www.r-kelly.com/). The rapper and singer-singwriter hangs out at LifeTime with a huge entourage. Not exactly the way to remain anonymous, I guess. But, the R-man raises eyebrows and high-fives followed by a network almost as large as the one in that cell phone commercial.

Welcome Kanye. Word is the food is great and we're glad to have you here.

Now, some people have told me they also used to see Bernie Mac, who is from Chicago originally, hanging out at a cigar bar in Orland Park with his oxygen tank at his side and the breathing tubes in his nose, while puffing on a cigar. Just before Mac's deasth, he performed as a warmup for an appearance by Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama. Mac cussed his way through the riffs and drew a mild rebuke from Obama, who then said, eh was just joking. But staffers later insisted Obama had criticized some of the Mac's comments.

Let us know of any other celebrity sightings in Orland Park or the region.

Ray Hanania
http://www.themediaoasis.com/

Trying to be something Orland Park is not

There are some people who are never happy with what they are or what they have. They're always looking elsewhere for the "big ideas" instead of right in their back yards. Take Orland Park's "leadership," for example -- I use the term liberally, of course.

The Village has been purchasing land bordering LaGrange Road, 143rd Street and Southwest Highway -- the triangle -- to develop a mixed-use, Old Town-like downtown area adjacent to the newly remodeled Metra train stop. The last hurdle is the purchase of Orland Plaza, which has been all over the news.

The idea is this "down town" will be like Frankfort's downtown. A place that has a look and feel from the past when people would sit on the edge of the wood planked sidewalks (after the mud dried), watched the horse and buggies klop-klop by, kicking up mini-dust storms, and eat homemade pie.

I admit the idea has some merit. When I want to lazily walk in a turn-of-the-century like downtown center, I drive to Frankfort, spend a few hours there, and then never go back, except maybe for their annual Labor Day weekend arts, craft and food fest, which is one of the region's best.

If I want to spend more than a few hours at a place like that, I've traveled to Narbonne in France and walked around Carcassone, between Toulous and Narbonne in France, not too far from Perpignon on the Cout d Azure, which was Salvador Dali's favorite place to paint. I'll spend a few days walking around there among its olden days store fronts, shops and streets filled with circus-like minstrels. Or, maybe, you might travel to Palestinian East Jerusalem, and visit the Souq and spend hours walking from one tiny shop to another taking in the aromatic orchestra of incense. (In fact, at the end of this column, you can watch my July 2007 Comcast Cable TV program "TV Chicagoland/30 Minutes" and my video tour of the Souq of East Jerusalem.) Or, maybe, go to the old city in Barcelona and take in breathtaking ancient churches and structures from real Medieval times.

But does Orland Park really need an "Old Town?"

I don't think so. I know they keep telling us it's to broaden the "ambiance" of our little village. Well, Orland Park is no "little village." With better management, it could be the economic engine driving the Southwest Suburbs. Instead, we're slumped by a poor economy like everyone else and that's surprising because we have so many retail shops our sales tax revenues should be shooting through the roof and they are not. We have so many store fronts that are vacant, a trashy look that reminds people of a future ghetto -- it's happened to places. I've seen it.

Mayor Dan McLaughlin fashions himself off to be some mini-me Mayor Daley. We'll call him "da boss," because behind his unpresuming smile is one tough politician who gets angry over any resistance from people around him.

(That's how he was to me when I told him that instead of automatically appointing his nominee for a certain high-paying village position, we should at least open the job up to the village residences to see if anyone else was interested in qualifying for it -- I quit the commission when he told me it was either his way or the highway and now he goes around telling people he doesn't understand why I am so critical of him -- you're no different than the other two-faced politicians, Dan!)

It's that 19th Ward fever that has been sweeping through our community over the past few years. There's no immunity for it, yet.

So, how about we drop this stupid idea of some turn-of-the-century old town atmosphere and instead build something really remarkable, like a community theater (that isn't political like the one we have today), or a museum campus, or some place where people can go to have real enjoyment, arts, entertainment and fun?

Secrets of the Souq of East Jerusalem Video
Click the PLAY button to watch
or THIS LINK IF THAT DOESN'T WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER:

Frankfort Township official crosses the line on Arab and Muslim hatemongering -- but some of the response is hypocritical

Frankfort Township Assessor Paul Ruff, whose government job is to serve as a liaison on their property taxes with the Cook County Assessor, seems to have expanded his duties recently when he sent out an email to a lot of people in his township that expressed his concerns about Muslims who live in America.

No one actually has the exact email that Ruff allegedly sent out, and Ruff is not returning phone calls or emails so we don't know if he actually wrote it, or more likely, received the email and thought it was worth forwarding to his email list (which is something so many people do often.)

But several groups are trying to organize protests against Ruff and they are partnering with some good groups and some groups that are not so good, like CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations which has a habit of browbeating those in the Arab and Muslim community who go too far in denouncing extremism and anti-American violence (more below on CAIR).

Here is what has been written in all the local newspapers about what Ruff wrote:

The e-mail, circulated in June, said America should follow the lead of Australia's former prime minister John Howard, who said Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law should get out of Australia.

"Once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our Christian beliefs or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, the right to leave," the e-mail said, supposedly quoting Howard.

The e-mail actually was based on a column by Georgia state lawmaker Barry Loudermilk.

"Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the back bone to start speaking and voicing the same truths," the e-mail continued. "If you agree, please send this on."

Loudermilk is a racist and a bigot. I doubt that Ruff is a racist and he probably is just reacting the way most Americans do when they see Islamic fanatics make all kinds of threats against Americans (as they are doing targeting the Beijing Olympics), but only see many high profile Islamic "leaders" like CAIR waffle and walk carefully in their limited denunciations of "extremists."

What CAIR does is to denounce extremists and extremism, and violence. Yet, they do not hesitate to stand with fanatics and extremists who do not denounce violence and extremism. And, CAIR has walked a fine line, denouncing Osama Bin laden and al-Qaeda, but NOT denouncing Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are terrorist organizations that use violence and the reprehensible and indefensible suicide bombing violence in which young, misguided Muslims and Arabs are brainwashed by their fearless leaders who convince them to sacrifice their lives for the cause while the fearless leaders do not sacrifice their own lives.

CAIR's Chicago spokesman is Ahmed Rehab. He is a very good person. Very genuine. But CAIR is sometimes "racist" (I define that as a group that discriminates againsts omeone else on the basis not only of race but also religion and ethnic and religious political views) and often engages in the same kind of hatemongering against individuals that it often denounces that is done to Muslims in America.

In otherwords, CAIR will denounce people like Ruff, but they remain silent when Muslim American extremists attack and denounce and intimidate Christian Arabs like myself and other secular Muslims.

The majority of Muslims in Chicagoland are moderates. They are not engaged in any anti-American activities. Yet, they are intimidated and browbeat by organizations like CAIR to shut up or be ostracized. (Just look at the case of Omar Najib, a Palos Heights based lawyer who has been the target of a hate campaign by extremist Muslims, many at the Bridgeview Mosque, and yet you WON'T hear CAIR denounce that extremism from among their own ranks.)

That's the hypocrisy that CAIR represents. Rehab is trying to change that but after waiting three years for him to do something, I think the time is now to put pressure on CAIR to either genuinely denounce extremism (including those extremists in the Muslim community right here in the United States and in the Chicago area) and stop being hypocrities about hatemongering, or there should be a formal campaign to ostracize CAIR and expose it for what it is.

Ironically, well intentioned groups like the Southwest Interfaith Team (SWIFT) -- the coalition of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders -- are ignorant of the reality of the hatemongering that takes place inside the Arab and Muslim American community. They speak out against hatemongering against Muslims but DO NOTHING to stand up to the hatemongering by organizations like CAIR and others against Christian Arabs like myself and secular Muslims.

The Arabian Club of Orland Park is planning a public meeting where some of these issues can be discussed and I hope you will attend. Until then, here is some background on the issues discussed here:

Ruff's Township Assessor's Web Page

Story in the Southtown July 22

Story on Ruff's achievements in the Frankfort Station Newspaper April 8

The Council on American Islamic Relations Chicago Page

SWIFT Web Page

We were unable to reach Ruff for a comment.

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.themediaoasis.com/

It's not over yet for John Edwards

I used to really like John Edwards. Before Hillary Clinton, he was my first choice for president. I still do like him, sort of. But as each denial from him comes out, I am finding that I like him less and less.

I met Edwards and I participated in several conference calls with him when he was considering running for president and then became a vice presidential candidate in 2004. I followed him when he ran during the past year. He was a very likable person. Of course, everyone born in 1953 is likable (including me.)

Yet, deep down I can't help but to believe that John Edwards is still lying. He lied about having an affair and now has come "clean." Yet, he seems like he is qualifying everything, instead of coming clean.

He was asked about a photo in which a man who looked like him was holding a little baby that belonged to his girlfriend and former staff person, Rielle Hunter, and instead of saying he did or did not meet the baby, insisted that the picture could or might not be him. It's the trait of a liar to pretend to tell the truth but work hard at mincing words in order to walk around the truth.

I don't believe we have the truth yet from Edwards and I don't think I am alone. I think Edwards needs to tell the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth. Why? Well, I recognize that a person's personal life is really no one's business. But, after you held yourself up to the level of moral and principled heights that marked your public campaign to win over the support of the American people, you owe it to us to tell us whether you were duping us, too, on the issue of whether you would make a good president.

Your private life is now public and you have a moral and principled obligation to set the record straight. Either you did or did not father the child. What else are you hiding? How many other women are there from your past campaign trail on which the shoulders of millions of Americans relied?

Tell the truth John. Quit playing games. Avoiding the truth and playing games with the way you answer things will do more harm to you and your family than admitting the ugly absolute truth.

But, you won't know that until it's too late and you keep lying, unfortunately. It's tragic to see your fall. I admired you and so did many millions of Americans.

Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com

Orland Park's officials must think we're just plain stupid

First it was the "official spin." Don't worry, everything is fine in Orland Park. We (government elected officials) haven't screwed up, it's the bad economy that blind-sided us. We didn't know it was coming. We have a little budget problem ($4.8 million) short of what we need to cover the services we have been providing, but we have a new village manager from Rhode Island who will take care of it all. (He's staying in one of the homes that the village stupidly bought and is having a hard time re-selling for what it paid.)

Then it was, everything is "intact," including the Property Tax Rebate. Don't worry people of Orland Park. No need for you to worry your empty little brains. You haven't cared before, so why should you care now? We'll take care of it.

And then, it was, well, the Property Tax Rebate is going to be cut because some of the money should be going to cover the pensions, which means money that was going to cover the pensions can be used someplace else.

Then they fed the media stories about how Orland Park's Property Tax Rebate is far more generous than other communities, setting the stage for the big scissors.

Now, it's the Property Tax Rebate is going to be "capped."

Next thing, the Property Tax Rebate is going to be eliminated.

I have one question -- it's not easy getting questions answered from this administration -- they only want to talk to the media that embraces their spin (in exchange for advertising, of course): Do you think the village is in trouble because it paid millions to purchase certain, selected homes alleged to have had serious flooding problems -- while so many others that had flooding problems were ignored -- and the village can't resell those homes today to recoup the money they spent?

Or, possibly, is it because the village failed to see the economic signs, claiming as recently as Mayor Dan McLaughlin's speech to the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce that everything is fine. What's to worry? So no one did?

Or possibly, the village is trying to scurry to come up with enough obfuscation so that when it comes time for their re-elections -- in a few months -- they won't have to worry about losing their jobs?

Just some questions from an Orland Park taxpayer.

A lawsuit you probably haven't heard much about in Orland Park

About one year after the heated Orland Park Fire Protection District (OPFPD) trustee election battle on April 17, 2007 between Arthur Granat Jr. and Cynthia Nelson Katsenes on one side, and Marty McGill and Glenn Michalak on the other side, Granat filed a defamation lawsuit.

The lawsuit deals indirectly with that embarrassing event in January 2007 involving Lt. Lawrence Masa, who claimed he needed paid leave from the OPFPD because he was serving his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, between 2003 and 2006. Masa was charged in January 2007 by the Cook County State's Attorney with ripping off taxpayers of $200,000 in salary during that period because, well, he wasn't serving in Iraq or Afghanistan at all, apparently. The Masa case is pending.

Granat alleges in his lawsuit, filed by attorney John Partelow, that his opponents for the trustee seat in collusion with the other board members -- the OPFPD attorneys, a computer company that has close ties to Mayor Dan McLaughlin, and the Orland Park Prairie -- used the Masa controversy to make it look like he was responsible. They defamed him, Granat alleges in his lawsuit, in order to make him lose the election.

Granat apparently had nothing to do with the Masa scandal, but the OPFPD quietly hired a contractor in February 2007, for about $10,000 according to Granat's attorney, to investigate Granat's "role" in the Masa affair, a role which apparently did not exist. Oops! It all centers around a computer that Granat was given permission by then acting Chief Donald Bettenhausen to take home. Granat's opponents on the board quietly hired a "computer forensic expert" to determine if Granat was hiding any files protecting Masa and that information was fed to the media to discredit Granat just before the April 2007 election.

Two of the 13 defendants in Granat's suit are McGill, Michalak, now OPFDP trustees. Of course, with the mud flying, they defeated Granat and Katsenes for the two trustee seats. Katsenes had been an outspoken champion to force the OPFPD to improve its sloppy and wasteful ways, which made her disliked on the board, and Granat, who was a 38 year OPFPD employee and deputy fire chief, had an impeccable record until the election mudslinging took place.

But, there are 11 other defendants in the lawsuit, and chances are you, the Orland Park taxpayer are most likely going to get socked with the tab if, as it should, Granat's suit is affirmed by a jury.

The remaining defendants round out what Granat's attorney spells out was a conspiracy to defame Granat and destroy his reputation in a mudslinging effort just before the election. They are:

Patrick Maher, the son of the Orland Park Village Clerk and the president and a trustee on the OPFPD who allegedly authorized the spending of $10,000 in OPFPD and taxpayer money to investigate his political rival.

OPFPD trustees Patricia Corcoran and Salvatore Cacciato who also supported the decision.

The OPFPD district itself, as the abusive government entity.

The OPFPD district's law firm Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, (KTJ) which has very close ties to the Village of Orland Park, too.

Michael J. Duggan and Dennis G. Walsh, lawyers with KTJ.

The Orland Park Prairie Newspaper, which published the stories apparently fed to it by a certain Orland Park employee.

Marjorie Owens-Klotz, daughter of the late Mayor Fred Owens and a "big shot" in the Village of Orland Park who handles media relations with the local newspapers and publicity and also handled media for the OPFPD, according to the lawsuit. She's married to a top ranking firefighter at the OPFPD, too. A sister was appointed to the OPFPD Commission.

Computer Bits, Inc., the firm hired by Maher and the anti-Granat/Katsenes board members to investigate the issue. Computer Bits Inc. has very close ties to the Village of Orland Park and is a major contributor to Mayor McLaughlin.

James T. Harmening, the owner of Computer Bits Inc., and a self-professed "forensic computer expert," according tot he lawsuit.

Apparently, the Daily Southtown ran the harmful and misleading story but later acknowledged, according to Granat's attorney, that Granat was unfairly slammed. The Orland Park Prairie (my favorite newspaper, or MFN), has not said anything.

Here's the lawsuit. Read it for yourself:

I've reached out to the attorneys, KJT, for a response to the lawsuit and will post it as soon as it comes in.

Lawn care, fast food and a Rocky Raccoon Obituary

(Read the Rocky Raccoon obit in the section below:)

I had to go out to get gasoline for the lawn mower. I like to do my own lawn rather than hire the sloppy lawn services that seem to operate around here under the village's licensing radar screen. (Maybe the village should require that these lawn maintance companies that slop around the neighborhood cutting grass and destroying other people's property should be licensed. That might be a great way to raise money.)

Anyway, after filling up the two gallon gasoline can for more than $8, I passed through McDonalds. I figured, if I am going to mow the lawn and pollute the environment, I might as well fill up on cholesterol, too. I don't normally eat at McDonalds. Well, I wouldn't call consuming their cholesterol sandwiched between muffins "eating."

Getting the gasoline was easy. I went to the Clark station where the pumps don't talk back to me like they do at Gas City. Simple. Fast. Efficient. Easy to use. But the Clark costs weres till pretty high. Getting the breakfast was not so easy.

Cholesterol is very popular, apparently. The line through at the drive-through was all around the building. When it was my turn at the speaker, it was all rattled and hard to hear, of course.

"Can I yelp you?" the voice asked.

Ignoring the voice, I just muttured my order, "Two number 3s and 1 number 5. With orange juice." Hey, I might as well go "healthy."

"Thats zoo bumers twees and a numer un."

"Yea. Whatever."

Then the speaker blurted out what the employees are ordered to do, push another "special" or a product.

"Wood you lick a cholesterol for one dollah?"

Huh? "I can't understand what you said."

"Wood you lick a cholesterol for one dollah?"

"Did you say would I like a shot of cholesterol directly into my arteries and a health insurance application?" I wanted to ask, but didn't. "I can't understand you."

This went on three more times, which was just as well for me. The breakfast sucked. Cold. Already made and wrapped sandwiches. The muffins were like rocks. Hey. If I'm going to have cholesterol build-up I might as well add kidney stones.

RACCOON OBIT:

Rocky Raccoon, age unknown but definitely a mature adult based on his size, died suddenly sometime in the evening on Friday, possibly after partying or being chased by homeowners with water canons. Suspected victim of hit-and-run animicide. Sources said Rocky -- a carnivorous North American mammal (Procyon lotor) having grayish-brown fur, black masklike facial markings, and a black-ringed bushy tail often associated with Davy Crockett -- was an incessant wanderer always getting into trouble with the humans. A constant forager and recluse, Rocky made a name for himself when he was pictured on the OrlandParker.com running on his tiptoes from a homeowner who happened to be a writer and photographer who chased him out of his mulberry tree with a garden hose. He is survived by six racconesses and 32 children and grandchildren, most hidden in trees, chimneys, roof eaves, attics in homes throughout Orland Park. Services held as soon as Orland Park's Animal Control division can pick him up off of Windsor Drive near 152nd Street in the middle of the street. Homeowners are too afraid to lift him as they have no idea what kind of social diseases Rocky may have picked up during his wild life. (Photo not published pending notification of family and relatives.)

Lyrics of song to be sung at his wake:

Born on a moraine slope in an Orland tree
The greenest suburb in the land of the free
Raised in the woods knew ev'ry garbage can
Kilt him a recyclable when he was barely a man

Rocky, Rocky Crockett, king of the wild frontier

Fought single-handed through many home war
Till the human was whipped and his tail was in store
And while he was handlin' this risky chore
OrlandParker made him a legend forever more

Rocky, Rocky Crockett, the raccon who knew no fear

Went off to 151st serving there a spell
Eatin' up vegetables and Orland's laws as well
Flipped a few garbage cans, so I heard tell
And hatched up a racket in the Taco Bell

Rocky, Rocky Crockett, seeing his foraging clear

When he came home his foraging was done
And that's about when the water hosin' begun
So he packed his gear and his black striped tail
And lit out a-grinnin' to follow his sail

Rocky, Rocky Crockett, fell victim to a fast-driving SOB

(Village of Orland Park Animal Control information, FYI.)

# # #