Chicago, IL —Secretly recording a conversation you have engaged with anyone carries severe penalties reserved only for our most violent crimes.  I’m not talking about wiretapping or capturing conversations of others but your very own!  These recording prohibitions only exist in the jurisdictions with the grandest histories of political corruption.  The reason for these laws is not for the protection of privacy but to protect politicians and bureaucrats from having these recording used against them in criminal or civil prosecutions. The building inspector suggests that your code violations can go away with the right inducement to him.  A politician or his campaign aid promises support for your contract to perform work for the county provided you support his political war chest.  This kind of corruption is commonplace in nearly every large city in America. I remember when Arizona lobbyist friends telling me how relieved they were when limits were p...

Chicago, IL —Chicago was preparing for an epic battle between demonstrators and police at the upcoming G-8 Summit . It would have been expensive, ugly and perhaps very bloody. Businesses expected to be firebombed or at a minimum suffered lots of broken glass and looting. The cops I know had little interest in doing anything but worrying about self-preservation. Protecting businesses on behalf of city officials loathed by the cops during this circus generated little interest and a lot of resentment. Why risk suffering injuries, bogus brutality allegations and criminal Indictment at the hands of that total douchebag State’s Attorney, Anita Alvarez ? My guess was the undermanned, outgunned and demoralized Chicago cops would have simply stood by and watched the city burn. It’s obvious that Rham Emanuel and Barack Obama knew this would become a public relations disaster and jointly moved it to the more easily protected rural area of Camp David. This planned fiasco would have cost Chi...