Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Van Dyke deserves leniency not race persecution The decision by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to pursue a more severe sentence for former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the shooting of drugged-up, armed thug Laquan McDonald is a travesty and a slap against not only families who seek safety and protection from criminals…
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The “Ricketts affair,” double standards and media hypocrisy The criticism of Joe Ricketts and the attacks against the Chicago Cubs reflect the twisted, distorted form of public justice that has corrupted today’s society. It also displays the hypocrisy of some of the politicians like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who have exploited the incident for personal…
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Orland Park mall shooting: When does safety become a form of racism? A teenager brought a gun into the Orland Park Mall and shot and killed a fellow student. But instead of talking about measures to protect innocent shoppers, some want to focus on racism. It’s time to consider metal detectors and restrictions on clothing…
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April named Arab Heritage Month by new Illinois Law Illinois Legislature passes law to designate April as Arab American Heritage Month. The bill was introduced by Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and co-sponsored by State Senator Steve Landek and Representative Mike Zalewski. The bill restores respect for Illinois’ Arab American community which was disrespected…
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Protests against “racism” must be effective and civil Protestors have been disrupting meetings of the Palos Township board for nearly 18 months as a part of a political strategy devised by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to undermine her anti-tax critics led by County Commissioner Sean Morrison. They are targeting Sharon Brannigan out of…
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Wallet Hub releases list of safest largest cities in America Illinois cities and suburbs barely make this year’s list, but among the safest are Aurora at 13 and Chicago at 133. The Wallet Hub study compares the largest cities in each state based on a range of criteria including number of law enforcement, assaults, hate…
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Daily Herald slams minorities and women in Tollway coverage The Arlington Heights Daily Herald has been running a series of news reports that read more like opinion columns, slamming the Tollway Authority for changing its administrative staff, a change most people agree has been good. But do the attacks from the newspaper also have a tinge of…
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GOP Chairman Schneider denounces State Rep. Kifowit’s remarks Today during floor debate in the Illinois House of Representatives, Democratic State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit wished death upon Republican State Rep. Peter Breen and his family. Kifowit later said her words were “misheard, misrepresented, misinterpreted and mischaracterized,” but an audio recording of her extreme rhetoric proves otherwise….
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Challenging racist laws that restrict free speech By Ray Hanania Letter I wrote to Illinois Representative David Harris of Arlington Heights (Republican) who introduced a bill last year to expand the existing anti-BDS law that prohibits Americans from criticizing a specific foreign country, Israel. I criticize Israel’s government and will continue to criticize Israel’s government…
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Miriam Zayed passing mourned by Chicagolands Arab, Muslim community Local activist fought for the rights of Arabs and Muslims in the Chicagoland area and also for the rights of all in mainstream American politics. Miriam Zayed was among one of the first two Arab Americans in Chicagoland to run for public elective office in the…
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No justice in fight against crime in Van Dyke conviction Two issues continue to bother me. The first is the imbalance and lack of justice in the prosecution of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, and the lack of attention to the criminal behavior of the victim Laquan McDonald. The second is the increasing amount…
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Roseanne Barr should spin-off her own new series Just because ABC TV Network doesn’t want Roseanne Barr in the newly re-engineered Roseanne TV series called “The Conners,” doesn’t mean she can’t be the star of her own re-engineered Roseanne TV series with its own premise, starring Roseanne Barr. By Ray Hanania I really enjoyed the…
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When will people in Chicago get serious about violence? Organized protests may bring attention to the problem of neighborhood violence. But if community homeowners and families don’t stand up to the violence in their own community, they can’t make a difference and violence will continue. The past weekend when Chicago saw 74 brutal shootings and…
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Pfleger publicity stunts do nothing to stop violence Father Pfleger organized a protest of community residents and activists to block traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway recently to protest increasing gang violence. But are the protests good for the community or his own personal interests. What he should be doing is helping residents to stand…
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Media hypocrisy over Roseanne Barr Roseanne Barr’s racist reference to Valerie Jarrett is irresistible and Barr rightly apologized. But was ABC TV’s decision to punish Roseanne by cancelling her hit TV series revival warranted? Or, is it the result of a double standard fueled by news media bias against Barr because of her open support…
A “teaching moment” on Roseanne Barr, the media and political hypocrisy Roseanne Barr said something stupidly racist about Valerie Jarrett and Jarrett responded saying we should take it as a “teaching moment.” But what kind of “teaching moment” can we have in an America that is deeply divided, caught in the middle between extremist politics…
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Destroying American history because of racial politics The wave of attacks against symbols of the civil war is undermining the history of this nation for political reasons and is driven by a form of reverse racism. Statues and markers recognizing icons of the South from the civil war are being targeted because of reverse racism…
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A good movie should be about entertainment These days, movie reviewers judge films not by what the audience wants but rather by what they want. Oftentimes, those judgments are driven by issues that pander to social minorities and left-wing liberal preferences. Why can’t we judge films based solely on their entertainment value, rather than on…