OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE

OBAMA'S OCTOBER SUNRISE SURPRISE - PART ONE

Sunrise Equities donated office space to Obama in 2004 when
he was running for U.S. Senate. Salman Ibrahim was there.

Also See: Obama's Connections to Sunrise Equities, Part Two 

EXCLUSIVE: PART ONE - Background of the 2008 Sunrise Equities Scandal

CHICAGO - Barack Obama has strong ties to a Chicago investment company that ripped off investors for a total of approximately $80 million. Sunrise Equities shut down in August when its CEO, Salman Ibrahim, and other top officers vanished. The money seems to have gone with them. Now, the Illinois Secretary of State and the FBI are investigating the scandal.

About 150 investors, mostly Muslim, learned in August that they had lost all of their savings to the Sunrise Equities fraud. Sunrise Equities, a shariah-compliant investment firm, targeted investors who were mostly Pakistani Muslim immigrants. Many the victims took out home-equity loans to make ends meet.

The Muslim Media Network (MMN) reported this on Sept. 11:

"According to latest reports coming from Chicago the management of Sunrise Equities and the affiliated Sunrise Constructions have disappeared after closing their offices. Sunrise CEO Salman Ibrahim, Vice President Amjed Mahmood, and Vice President (Community Relations) Mohammad Akbar Zahid are untraceable."

As financial scandals go, this one pales next to the implosions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, to the hundreds of investors in Chicago who have been ruined by Sunrise Equities, the Fannie-Freddie mess might as well be in another galaxy. Salman Ibrahim and Sunrise Equities have ruined people here just as profoundly as any bank closing in the country has hurt others. Salman Ibrahim gained the trust of investors with the help of religious Muslim leaders, who approved of and even recommended investing with Sunrise Equities because it followed shariah rules, or Islamic law.

The Illinois Secretary of State and the FBI are investigating the scandal. Will Homeland Security be investigating this? After all, Ibrahim is a foreign national. Furthermore, he is rumored by many along the “Devon Corridor” of West Ridge to be a Taliban sympathizer.

The tragedy of Sunrise Equities has ripples throughout Chicago: A March 10, 2006 press release from Sunrise Equities bragged about a transaction in the nearby Uptown neighborhood:

"Sunrise Equities is pleased to announce the purchase of 4 parcels near the corner of Leland and Marine Drive. A yet unnamed project is under development and will be the largest project under the Sun Rise umbrella. The mixed use development plan will call for up to 150 condos and townhomes as well as community retail."

More press releases are available on the Sunrise Equities web site, which also lists major projects in which they were involved.

The Chicago Tribune reported on September 24, 2008:

The Shariah Board of America's approval of investing in Sunrise Equities led dozens of other Chicago-area Muslims—mostly Indians and some Pakistanis—to invest and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars with the company, which says it developed multiunit residential buildings in Chicago, the investors said.

Investors said they don't know if the company suffered losses because of the declining real estate market or for other reasons. Salman Azam, an attorney hired by several investors, said Sunrise's Chief Executive Officer Salman Ibrahim has not been seen since August. Sunrise's offices off Devon Avenue are closed. At his home, mail spills out of his mailbox.

Neither Ibrahim nor his attorneys could be reached for comment Monday and Tuesday. Another principal in Sunrise, Amjed Mahmood, declined to comment, saying he had been a vice president in the company and the "corporation had gone down." He said he lost $500,000 and was now driving a taxi.

For years, Ibrahim and his associates have been heavily involved in Democrat Party political affairs. Ibrahim donated to Barack Obama and to Joe Biden, Local Democrats, such as 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore and 50th Ward Alderman Bernie Stone, benefited as well.

There are questions, then, that must be asked. Where did the missing $80 million go? Did any of that money go to terrorist entities? Inasmuch as Ibrahim is suspected by some in his now-former neighborhood to be sympathetic to radical Islamic groups, the authorities must be wondering where the money went. Was it transferred to accounts overseas? Will Ibrahim, Mahmood and Zahid keep the money for personal benefit? Was any of it transferred to enemies of the United States, such as alQaeda?

According the most recent US Treasury Terrorist Assets Report (TAR), more than $20.7 million was blocked in 2007 that might otherwise have gone to international terrorist organizations and individuals. That's a big increase from the $16.4 million block in 2006. Al-Qaeda's share in 2007 is estimated to have been more than $11.3 million, which is 46 percent more than in 2006.

The amount of blocked funds pertaining to international terrorist organizations and individuals, totaled over $20.7 million in 2007, compared to $16.4 million in 2006. Of that, over $11.3 million constituted assets of al-Qaeda, an increase of almost 46 percent over the level blocked as of the end of 2006. The Bench is not saying that Sunrise Equities officers were terrorists or gave money to terrorists. That is an unknown, but that is the point. As noted, people much close to Ibrahim allege that his sympathies lie with the Taliban. The Taliban, as we all know, sympathizes with al-Qaeda.

The US Government needs to quickly and thoroughly investigate the Sunrise Equities scandal, with involves around $80 million. That's almost four times as much as was blocked by the US Treasury in all of 2007.

Barack Obama has long had strong ties to Muslims and to Pakistanis. He also has long and strong ties to Sunrise Equities and Salman Ibrahim.

Obama wanted a satellite fundraising office in the “Devon Corridor,” the largely Indian-Pakistani section of Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood on the north side. Salman Ibrahim was happy to help. Free office space was given to Obama’s campaign within Sunrise’s general offices at 6355 N. Claremont. Obama has long wooed Muslim voters, and did not have a physical presence in this part of Chicago, so the Sunrise location made logistical sense for Obama. It also made sense for Ibrahim and Sunrise as an effort to curry favor with rising star Barack Obama.

In 2004, Sunrise Investments gave Barack Obama free office space during his run for US Senate. The Bench has photographs of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Clearly seen in the photos is Barack Obama and Salman Ibrahim.

We're not finished yet. Part Two of this story will examine Obama's connections to Salman Ibrahim and Sunrise Equities. Due to time constraints, The Bench will not detail here Obama's mysterious three weeks in Pakistan or his numerous Muslim associations. These are points that have been well covered already by a myriad of blogs and publications. Rather, The Bench hopes that the information presented here will alert others with more time and resources to the Sunrise Equities story and the Obama Connection. Perhaps they can pick up the ball and run with it.

NEXT: Obama's Connections to Sunrise Equities, Part Two

RELATED: 

• The Failure of Sunrise Equities CNB 
• More on the Sunrise Equities Debacle... CNB 
• LOOKING FOR SALMAN IBRAHIM CNB 
• Sunrise Equities Scandal and Multiculturalism CNB 
• OBAMA: GUILT BY PARTICIPATION CNB 

OBAMA: GUILT BY PARTICIPATION

Hot new video about Obama and his association with bomber Bill Ayers. For Obama to dismiss his relationship with terrorist William Ayers by repeating that he was "only eight years old" when Ayers was bombing buildings is like my ex-wife saying she doesn't know me because she was only four years old when I graduated college. Now really, would you believe that??? ALSO SEE (10/17/08): OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE

Sunrise Equities Scandal and Multiculturalism

O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubled and multiplied;

but fear Allah; so that you may be successful.

3-130 Surah Al-Imran Verses

Multiculturalism played a major role in the sad case of one of Chicago's biggest financial scandals, currently ongoing and presenting a working mystery for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

ALSO SEE (10/17/08): OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE

The scandal in a nutshell: Sunrise Equities, headed by CEO Salman Ibrahim, was a sharia compliant investment firm that preyed primarily on Muslim investors. Ibrahim, who presented himself as a devout Muslim, was quickly embraced as an honest man, a man of holy righteousness, a man who you could trust. 

As the News-Star wrote recently, "The charismatic Ibrahim impressed prospective investors at Sunrise Equities with his deeply held religious beliefs. He regularly attended prayer services at the mosque located in the basement of his firm's office at 6355 N. Claremont, often serving as an imam or prayer leader. Local Muslim clerics vouched for him, and Ibrahim and his partners promptly returned investors' phone calls. But when the monthly disbursement checks started bouncing in August, and Sunrise's offices went dark, investors grew worried and began contacting the local Muslim media." (Source: News-Star, Sept. 24, 2008) 

How did multiculturalism contribute to this debacle? Consider: How many of your average investors consult their priests or rabbis before handing over upwards of $300,000 to an investment firm? Not many. But many of the unfortunate Muslim investors in Chicago who put their life savings in the hands of Sunrise Equities did, and they did not bother to go outside of their tight community to research Sunrise or to consult with non-Muslim investment experts. 

Do not confuse Diversity with Multiculturalism. I'm all for diversity. That is, people of various ethnicities and races and religions and whatever living together, next door, in harmony. However, that's quite different from multiculturalism, which is a situation that isolates those groups from each other into secluded or semi-secluded enclaves. That leads to communication breakdown, language barriers, suspicion, mistrust, fear. It divides us. Multiculturalism divides us with invisible walls, whereas a diverse community can unite us. Multiculturalism is, of necessity and by definition, a separation of people from those not like themselves. 

In August, CEO Ibrahim and four other Sunrise officers vanished, with an estimated $80-100 million in tow. Most investors, upon learning that the man who held their life savings had just skipped town, would have picked up the phone and called the FBI, the police, the Illinois Attorney General, or a newspaper. Virtually nobody among the Muslim investors did that. Rather, most of their complaining was limited to calling Dil Se (an Urdu language radio talk show on AM 1240 from 11 p.m. to Midnight on Sunday), or standing on a corner on Devon Avenue gossiping about it, or seeking information in one of the restaurants along that corridor. 

The insulation of Chicago's Muslim community contributed to the overly eager, ignorant willingness to dump money onto the lap of "one of their own." That same insulation now hinders official investigations of the scandal. This insulation is directly due to a lack of assimilation by a tight community into the bigger community around it. To live on an island is to isolate oneself. Muslim investors were not the only ones suckered by Ibrahim's act of piety and trustworthiness, however. Various non-Muslim banks around Chicago, and the nation, are experimenting with sharia-compliant operations. 

Universities, too, are being suckered in. That's no surprise, really: Universities are great advocates of the cultural isolationism that is inescapably part of being multicultural. DePaul University in Chicago for example, as written about in the Chicago Tribune earlier this year, as noted by Dhimmi Watch: Amir Davoodi had read about the meteoric rise of Islamic banking, but the senior finance major at DePaul University didn't realize how intrigued he would become with the idea of mixing Islam and market finance until he took a course on the subject last fall. Now Davoodi has accepted an internship with a local Islamic real estate company, Sunrise Equities, and might pursue the banking niche after graduation. More at Dhimmi Watch... 

Those involved at high levels with the Pure and Pure 2.0 construction projects were taken in, too, charmed by their desire to make a quick profit, but also by a desire to associate with something exotic: The bearded Ibrahim, the sharia-financial expert, the Man from Beyond. 

Fortunately, bloggers Bill Morton and Grammar Girl broke the story into the world beyond the Devon corridor. It is now an international story, as noted on the "Rogers Park in 1,000 Words" web site. Today there is an item at RP1000 titled "SALMAN IBRAHIM: YOU CANNOT HIDE!" that lists news organizations around the world that are carrying the story. 

RELATED: 

• Why the dogma of multiculturalism has failed Britain - Mail Online 
• Tammy Bruce: Another Sign Multiculturalism Is Working 
• Can Britain Survive Mulitculturalism? 
• The Worldwide Failure of Pluralism 
• New Socialist: Multiculturalism Policy and Practice: Divide and Conquer

Big Media Stumbled on Sunrise Equities Story

UPDATE, OCT. 17, 2008: Also see Obama Connected to Sunrise Equities, Part One

As is so often so typical, Chicago's dinosaur Big Media completely missed a major story - right under their noses. It's the story of a Muslim shariah financial investment company that has scamming as many as 300 investors for as much as $100 million. 

Salman Ibrihim, the CEO, and four other Sunrise officers vanished in late August, perhaps to Dubai or Pakistan. The entire Indian-Pakistani community, so prominent along the W. Devon corridor, has been abuzz about this scandal since late August, if not earlier. 

This would make one hell of a screenplay. The failure of Sunrise Equities, and the mysterious disappearance of five of its top officers, is the kind of story that should have made the front page of both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. It should have gotten big play on all of the local television and radio news shows. In this age of New Media, however, a local blogger proved - again - that the little guys can often out do the big ones. 

Bill Morton has a blog on Chicago's north side called "Rogers Park in 1,000 Words." Morton's contributor "Grammar Girl" broke this story on September 14, 2008. That is, RP1000 was the first medium outside of the Devon corridor to pay attention to it. (See all "Sunrise Equities" related stories at RP1000...) 

It should be noted that on Sept. 11 the story was reported by the Muslim Media Network. Needless to say, MMN has few audience members outside of its target demographic. (See "Sun Sets on Sunrise Equities : Muslim Media Network.") 

This blog, The Bench, picked up on the story on Sept. 15 after seeing the RP1000 posts. We ran "Chicago's Hidden Financial Scandal" and quickly scored more hits that day - and still today - than on any other story. RP1000 told The Bench that they, too, are scoring huge numbers. Both RP1000 and The Bench have seen big hits coming from Dubai, India and Pakistan especially. 

What is interesting about most of these hits - or clicks, if you will - is that they are coming from people who are specifically searching for "sunrise equities" or "salman ibrihim." 

By the afternoon of Sept. 14, the News-Star newspaper (a weekly publication, part of the Chicago Journal family), had also noticed both the RP1000 and The Bench posts and was diligently digging into the story. 

The News-Star's first story about the Sunrise Equities catastrophe, "Where is Salman Ibrahim?" was in their Sept. 17 issue. News-Star reporter Lorraine Swanson, who is also the Editor of the paper, made good use of already-established contacts in the Indian-Pakistani community, and followed up with another article, "Indo-Pak investors fear the worst," on Sept. 24. 

Along stumbled the Chicago Tribune, finally, on Sept. 19 with the story "Muslim investors claim fraud." However, the Trib used an Associated Press feed, and it was nowhere near as well researched as the News-Star's article on Sept. 17, two days earlier. To the Tribune's credit, though, they at least showed interest in the story. They were at least aware of it, unlike the other Big Media locally. 

The Chicago Sun-Times got into the story on Sept. 20, but with a very brief, scratch-the-surface blurb. At least their story, however, was written by one of their own staffers. 

Four days later, on Sept. 24, the Trib published "Dozens of Muslims lose life savings to real estate developer," this time by one of their own and not cribbed from AP. Although more in depth than their Sept. 19 story, it misses many of the points that News-Star got days earlier. The headline, which indicates that "dozens" of people may lose their savings, is weird: There are close to 300 investors who are in jeopardy. "Dozens" seems an odd choice of words. 

Today, Sept. 26, the Trib ran another AP story (are they that short-staffed over there?). "Chicago's South Asians shocked by investment scam" is yet another weird headline. Sure, people were shocked by the scam - when it was fresh. Now, they're all just pissed off, as the shock wore off about a week ago. 

Nowhere in any of the Big Media reports is Bill Morton's RP1000 blog mentioned. RP1000 will probably stay ahead of the curve on at least some of the aspects of the story, as will News-Star. Both are closer to the story than the Big Media, doing better on-the-ground footwork and making use of deeper contacts in the Indian-Pakistani community.

LOOKING FOR SALMAN IBRAHIM

He's the missing CEO of Sunrise Equities in Chicago. He and several other officers are missing. Is he in Dubai? Brazil? Or back in his native Pakistan? Lorraine Swanson has more details.... The disappearance of the CEO and president of a Shariah-compliant investment firm has left many in West Ridge's Indo-Pak community wary and in turmoil. FULL STORY at NEWS-STAR... UPDATE, OCT. 17, 2008: ALSO SEE OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE RELATED: Uptown's Leland Terrace - OOPS! Sunrise Equities Red Flags The Failure of Sunrise Equities Chicago's Hidden Financial Scandal

Uptown's Leland Terrace - OOPS!

UPDATED, OCT. 17, 2008: ALSO SEE OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE "Chicago-based Sunrise Equities and Development Co. will build the project through an entity called Leland Terrace LLC." [Source] WHOA! Sunrise Equities is belly-up, its CEO and other officers AWOL. Now what, Uptown? RELATED: Sunrise Equities Red Flags The Failure of Sunrise Equities Chicago's Hidden Financial Scandal

Sunrise Equities Red Flags

The failure of Sunrise Equities in Chicago has many in the local muslim community, and others to be sure, panicking. (See The Failure of Sunrise Equities and Chicago's Hidden Financial Scandal.) It seems that there was plenty of warning out there, however. The Bench has found a number of other disturbing items on the web, such as this letter from an irate customer, found at the Rip-off Report: Submitted: 6/17/2008 11:33:11 AM Modified: 6/17/2008 11:33:00 AM Mo baig chicago, Illinois My family and me invest with Sunrise equities for project. Sunrise told me we get profit to invest in the condo projects. But no payments for long time. I fight with the company for long time. company not care. After i tell them i have emergencey i finally get little money. I not sure if the condo projects are for real, but bad experience with company. Mo baig chicago, Illinois [SOURCE: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/341/RipOff0341094.htm] RELATED: Shariah Finance Watch » Islamic Equity Funds Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Sharia Law

The Failure of Sunrise Equities

UPDATED, OCT. 17, 2008: ALSO SEE OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE DEVELOPING: There is a major financial scandal brewing in Chicago's muslim community, as reported by Bill Morton. Sunrise Equities was a developer of mixed use and residential real estate in the Chicagoland area. It has gone under. While this is not the biggest financial story of the day, it has left hundreds of investors devastated and is likely to affect Chicago families and investors more deeply than the Bank of America Corp.’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch or the pending Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. The CEO of Sunrise Equities, Salman Ibrahim, and other officers have gone missing. Investors are panicking. Morton reports that Ibrahim donated to Alderman Joe Moore (Democrat), and The Bench finds that he also donated to Barack Obama in 2006 and in 2004, and has more recently donated at least twice to Sen. Joe Biden in 2006. Ibrahim was also a chairman of NEXTEC Engineering, Ltd., which lists its head office addres as 61A, Block-B, Main Boulevard,Johar Town in Lahore, Pakistan. Today, the web site no longer has any reference to Salman Ibrahim. This scandal has citywide ripples: A March 10, 2006 press release from Sunrise Equities bragged about a transaction in Uptown: "Sunrise Equities is pleased to announce the purchase of 4 parcels near the corner of Leland and Marine Drive. A yet unnamed project is under development and will be the largest project under the SunRise umbrella. The mixed use development plan will call for up to 150 condos and townhomes as well as community retail." (Also see www.uptownchicagocommission.org/apr_1_07.html) More press releases can be seen on the Sunrise Equities web site, which also lists major projects that they were involved in. The Muslim Media Network (MMN) reported this on Sept. 11: "According to latest reports coming from Chicago the management of Sunrise Equities and the affiliated Sunrise Constructions have disappeared after closing their offices. Sunrise CEO Salman Ibrahim, Vice President Amjed Mahmood, and Vice President (Community Relations) Mohammad Akbar Zahid are untraceable." MMN also reports that "Sunrise Equities, a Chicago based financial services firm which claimed to be Shariah compliant, has gone under leaving many area Muslims robbed of their savings. Incorporated in 2001 the firm claimed that all its services were in compliant with Islamic laws and had the endorsement of a leading religious scholar." Following is a press release from the Shariah Board of America in an attempt to quiet down the rumor firestorm raging around this: Shariah Board of America's response to the Sunrise Equities financial crisis facing the Muslim Community Chicago, IL, September 6, 2008: It has been brought to the attention of the Board of Directors of Rahmat-e-Alam Foundation that there have been several false rumors and innuendos labeled against Shariah Board and its’ officers regarding the failure of Sunrise Equities. In particular, there are misleading emails and newspaper articles that falsely allege the involvement of the leadership of Shariah Board with Sunrise Equities. This press release is intended to set the facts straight: • If it is true that Sunrise Equities is financially insolvent and their officers are missing, then Shariah Board of America is deeply shocked and saddened by this turn of events. If the allegations leveled against Salman Ibrahim and other officers of Sunrise Equities are true, then Shariah Board expresses their deepest disappointment with these individuals. We strongly empathize with the investors of Sunrise Equities and pray for them. May Allah (swt) limit their losses, grant them Sabar and Naimal Badal. Shariah Board is making a sincere appeal to the officers of Sunrise Equities to come forward and answer questions from their investors. • It is true that Salman Ibrahim, like hundreds of other Muslims, has been a supporter of Shariah Board. He was also a member of the Board. But it is completely false that Shariah Board or its’ officers supported Sunrise Equities quid pro quo. Shariah Board categorically denies the false allegation that its’ officers received any compensation, living expenses or any other benefit for supporting Salman Ibrahim as a trustable and reliable businessman. In addition, in light of recent circumstances, the Directors of Shariah Board have unanimously agreed and removed Salman Ibrahim from the Board. Contact: Syed Mohammed Ali Farid 7045 N. Western Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60645 Phone 773 764 8274 Ext. 26 Fax 773 764 8497 smafarid@rahmatealam.org • Shariah Board, in consultation with worldwide Islamic Scholars, provides Islamic guidance to companies seeking to offer Shariah compliant products. This includes banks like Devon Bank, Broadway Bank, Mutual Bank, and companies like Guidance Financial, Ijara Finance, Lariba and Sunrise Equities. This consultation is limited to providing answers to Shariah compliance questions and reviewing documents. Shariah Board or its’ officers do not participate in the Management or Operations of any company. Shariah Board is not involved in any transactions between the companies and their clients. Like other companies, Sunrise Equities also sought answers on Shariah compliance and was provided with religious guidance. The actions of the officers of Sunrise Equities were undertaken at their sole discretion. Any attempt by individuals or organizations to link Shariah Board and its’ officers with Sunrise Equities is a case of serious defamation and will be dealt with the strongest legal response possible. Shariah Board is your community service organization. But there are individuals and organizations that are perpetuating false rumors and accusations to discredit the Shariah Board. They want to impede the services of the organization so that authentic Islamic work cannot continue in this community. It is the responsibility of every community member to dispel these false rumors. It is our sincere appeal that you recognize the truth and remain steadfast in support of Shariah Board and its’ leadership. May Allah (swt) bless us with wisdom and enable us to continue this authentic work of deen. RELATED: OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE N E X T E C ::: Engineering Next Generation - Salman Ibrahim is a Chairman of Nextec. He is also a President and Chief Executive Officer of Sunrise Equities Inc, Chicago. NOTE: Salman Ibrahim's name is no longer on NEXTEC's web site. FREE IN THE USA IBF CPI Financial Sunrise Equities of Chicago was established in 2001 and is a ... projects under the supervision of its president and chief executive, Salman Ibrahim. Islamic Finance World - North America 2008 - programme Salman Ibrahim, CEO, Sunrise Equities and Development....Shariah compliant real estate opportunities in Canada... Islamic Banking and Finance in the United States ... U$D80000 and the Board rely on the generous contributions of the public. ... Brother Salman Ibrahim, a real estate agent has a great passion for Islamic ...

Chicago's Hidden Financial Scandal

UPDATED, OCT. 17, 2008: ALSO SEE OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE On this day of financial crises and meltdowns, here is an excellent and very relevant report from Bill Morton about what seems to be a major financial scandal in Chicago's Indian-Pakistani community. It holds every promise of growing into a big story: The tease: SUNRISE EQUITY INVESTMENT COMPANY'S OFFICE IS CLOSED, STAFF IS GONE, AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE "SALMAN IBRAHIM" IS NOT PICKING UP PHONE AND NOT SEEING ANYBODY. The sleaze: The missing CEO of Sunrise Equities, Inc. also contributed to your fave and mine, Joe "the Alder-Joker" Moore! Meanwhile, the Pakistani and Indian community is frustrated, angry, and wanting to know the whereabouts of Salman Ibrahim. They want to receive some return for the vast amounts of money they invested with him. Some are destitute, bereft because they trusted this snake with every dime they had. Kudos to Bill Morton for reporting this to us. Read much more about it at Rogers Park in 1000 Words... RELATED: UPDATED, OCT. 17, 2008: OBAMA CONNECTED TO SUNRISE EQUITIES, PART ONE The Failure of Sunrise Equities

A Local Scandal Goes National

Hat tip to Marathon Pundit for this.... Tony Rezko laid a stink down on Illinois politics, and a lot of people yawned even though it is a major cluster of scandals that caused the stench. Governor Blagojevich. Barack Obama. Others. Now that Barack Obama is running for president, the Rezko mess takes on new meaning, has acquired much larger proportions, opens portals between the dimensions of local and national politics. Do not fool yourself: This is a Major Story. Today MP brilliantly writes: "...Rezko was a very early Obama supporter, he first met the future senator while he was a Harvard law student. But Rezko, who was the driving force behind what US Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called "pay-to-play scheme on steroids," will continue to make news as the media--and the federal government--continue to mine more mud on Rezko.And today, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that a Rezko firm was hired to renovate his Chicago's house.Which is bad news for Obama. Every few weeks or so there will be one--or maybe more---Tony Rezko eruptions that will remind polital junkies of Obama's Rezko ties." The whole thing...

Obama: Just Another Good Ol' Boy

Joe Moore and Todd Stroger and Barack Obama are buddies. And they have so much in common: Each other's support.

Both Moore and Obama are beholden to their master, the Howard Dean-controlled Democrat National Committee (DNC). The DNC has become everything it once criticized: An ingrown, self-absorbed, self-centered special interest group that has taken over the Democratic Party like some kind of body snatcher.

Barack Obama has shown himself to be nothing more than just another good ol' boy, part of the network that looks out for its own elite members, and the People are just tools to help them achieve their personal goals of power. So in a creepy way, the blind support that Obama has given to Moore is understandable: They both belong to the same country club, the DNC.

Moore's reelection campaign employs, among others, ex-Schakowsky minion Alex Armour, as well as Schakowsky's convicted felon husband. Incest makes for strange bedfellows.

Barack Obama, the guy who promised us he would serve out his full term as a Senator and not run for president in 2008, is running for president and - if elected - will not serve out his full term as Senator. Strike one.

But Obama's support of Todd Stroger's candidacy for Cook County PResident is hard to understand until you connect the dots back to the DNC. As far as I know, Todd is not a DNC member. If I'm wrong let me know, please. Why would Barack Obama back Stroger? The question is inescapable: Did he support Stroger just because Stroger is nominally a Democrat, or because Stroger is black?

In either case, why would a U.S. Senator, getting ready to run for president, bother with a county board presidential race? Again, the DNC. The DNC told - ordered - Barack to support Stroger. Just as they told him to back Moore, a freekin' alderman for God's sake. You think Hillary or Rudy are going to lend their support to aldermanic candidates in New York?

Barack Obama, who loves you and wants the best for you, endorsed Todd Stroger in his bid for Cook County President. Strike Two.

So Barack Obama, who claims to be different, a breath of fresh air, a guy who takes us in a new direction, has endorsed Chicago alderman Joe Moore (49th Ward). It seems more like a case of uncontrollable flatulence than a breath of fresh air. Strike Three.

Chicago Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward, is so proud of his recent endorsement from U.S. Senator cum presidential candidate Barack Obama. So proud. BFD. Obama would have endorsed a toaster oven had the DNC told him to.

Disappointing but so predictable. Barack Obama has shown beyond doubt that he is no different than any other hack. He takes orders from the Party. He supports fools just because they have a heartbeat and call themselves Democrats. Obama is a tool. Don't be fooled.

Todd Stroger's Comedy Corner

I've pointed out a number of time that Alderman Joe Moore made Chicago a laughing stock with his anti-foie gras ordinance which, surprisingly, Mayor Daley has not yet vetoed. Todd Stroger is also in the comedy business, causing guffaws and snickers around the country. Take this example, for instance, of a post entitled "Cook County IL Abolishes Democracy" from a blogger in Biloxi. A bit of an exageration, perhaps - after all, thousands of stupid people were allowed to vote for Todd Stroger. They got what they deserved, but what about the innocent victims who did not vote for Todd? Oh, by the way, Barack Obama gave a gratuitous endorsement to Todd Stroger. More on that later.....

Kool-Aid Obama

Funny, biting post at the Beachwood Reporter about Senator Obama's speech in Springfield, where he announced that he was running for president. Read it now... Note to Alan: I didn't write it. I just report. You decide. :-)

Barack Obama's Prez HQ will be over by dere

Barack Obama will be running for president, have you heard? Did you know that Barack Obama is a Man of the People? Yes, he's very much in touch with the common man, Mr. Obama is. Heck, if YOUSE were Obama wouldn't YOUSE have purchased that strip of land from Tony Rezko? Sure ya woulda! If youse could, wouldn't YOUSE put yer presidential campaign headquarters at a fancy high rise on North Michigan Avenue? Sure ya would, so's youse could be real close to yer big time fancy donors, don'tcha know. And so's all the Common People can get over to shake hands with The Man more easily, don'tcha see? From Crain's Chicago Business today: A spokesman for the Illinois Democrat confirmed Wednesday that Sen. Obama, who is scheduled to officially announce his candidacy on Saturday in Springfield, expects to open his national campaign headquarters at 233 N. Michigan. Mr. Obama’s exploratory committee already has a small office in the 32-story building. Knowledgeable real estate sources confirmed that final negotiations are under way on a deal in which the Obama campaign would sublease an entire 33,500-square-foot floor from Accenture Ltd., the big consulting company, for up to two years. That’s a big enough space to handle up to several hundred strategists, pollsters, media experts and other campaign hands. Full Story....

It's Barack Obama's world, we just live in it

How has the internet changed political life? Here's a hint, from Everyday Life: Barack Obama does not maintain his own MySpace account, but the person who does maintain it does a thorough job - and now has over 35,000 friends. So, now for a little MySpace and the Presidential candidates, by the numbers... Full Story