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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker eyes a $20 billion quantum-computing campus. Crain’s…
- The campus would be anchored by PsiQuantum, a Silicon Valley startup that is evaluating two Chicago-area locations for a site to build the world’s first industrial-scale quantum computer. -PsiQuantum’s project initially would bring about 1,000 construction jobs and up to 500 direct jobs, including hardware and software engineers. Governor Pritzker will be at the Field Museum at 10 a.m. to celebrate a new acquisition. At 2:30, the governor will give remarks at the Thompson Center redevelopment groundbreaking. Click here to watch. * The letter is signed by Reps. Jimenez, Rashid, Guzzardi, Mah and Gonzalez…
* Capitol News Illinois | Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system: A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into three bills, describe much of it as a follow-up to the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, a landmark energy policy that set emissions goals for the state and massively altered the state’s energy sector. The proposals [are] unlikely to be passed in their current form this year. * WMAY | Governor makes the case for Illinois, promises growth for Springfield: Another facet of Springfield which deserved attention, the Governor said, is the Illinois State Fairgrounds. “That fairgrounds is a phenomenal piece of property — but it’s been neglected, like so many other things in the State government… I said in my first year in office to my staff, I want our Fair to –– first of all be profitable, and I want it to be something that people love going to.” Pritzker told the Citizen’s Club that money from the Rebuild Illinois plan is being dedicated to renovating and improving the fairgrounds. “This is an investment in the Fairgrounds here, in Springfield. It is an investment for a lifetime: we want to be able to show off what Springfield is.” * J.B. Pritzker, et al | Clean water is our moonshot moment for Midwest climate leadership: One-fifth of the planet’s surface freshwater sits in our Great Lakes. Demand for it will only grow, which gives us both an opportunity and a responsibility to speed the pace of water innovation. We must manage and conserve our finite fresh water as if it were a sea of diamonds. Even our “waste” water is precious. Over the next 10 years, a bipartisan coalition called Great Lakes ReNEW will invest millions of dollars in new technologies to recover and recycle valuable minerals, such as nickel, cobalt and lithium, from our water, and remove toxic chemicals such as per- and polyfluorinated substances, known as PFAS. The goal is to destroy what’s toxic and reuse what’s valuable. * Herald-Whig | Illinois monitoring H5N1 influenza in dairy cattle: While no cases have been reported in Illinois, federal agencies confirmed the H5N1 influenza virus in dairy herds in eight states across the U.S. The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Public Health are working closely to monitor the situation and are jointly coordinating prevention and response measures including working with producer groups and partner organizations to promote education to veterinarians and cattle farmers on the clinical signs of H5N1 so that potential infections quickly can be identified and contained. * Crain’s | Illinois awards 35 new pot-shop licenses: The licensees announced today are the third round of applicants chosen by lottery and will join 200 other licensees chosen in two previous lotteries. The new licenses are conditional until applicants open stores and receive final certification from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The state originally had authorized 55 licenses in the latest round. Thirteen applications are still under review, and seven others chosen in the lottery did not meet the state’s social-equity criteria. Seven new potential licensees will be chosen from the lottery pool. * WTAX | Boyd succeeds Neely as IL National Guard adjutant general: Gen. Rodney Boyd, installed Saturday at Glenwood High School, is proud to break the glass ceiling. “It’s also a way of showing how far we’ve come as an organization and as a state,” Boyd said in an interview before the ceremony, “that we are preparing people of color to take these very important roles within our organization and the other organizations within our state.” Boyd, the product of Chicago public housing and son of a single mother, urged today’s young people who believe they have been given lemons to squeeze them and get an education. * WBBM | City’s plan to replace downtown migrant shelter with one in Bridgeport getting some pushback: The City of Chicago notified Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) this past week of plans to move migrants from downtown to Bridgeport ahead of the Democratic National Convention. […] In an update to her constituents, Lee said the city has not signed a lease for the property yet and that she met with Mayor Brandon Johnson to express her opposition. * Tribune | Optimism, doubt ahead of Johnson’s Treatment Not Trauma mental health plan: Johnson quickly passed an ordinance to launch the city’s working group once in office, but to move forward, the policy needs “active leadership” from City Hall, not “infinite working groups, infinite consensus buildings and no movement,” said Eric Reinhart, a public health, law and psychiatry anthropologist and physician who co-drafted the “white paper” report published by the activist coalition that pushed for the policy. “I think it’s quite disappointing to all of us that a year into this administration, that even on the campaign stage held up Treatment Not Trauma as one of its core priorities, we still haven’t made any steps forward,” he said. “Everybody’s getting a working group, but where are we seeing implementation?” * Crain’s | Airlines and City Hall reach agreement on O’Hare revamp: However, key details were not immediately available. Included on the list of unanswered questions are under what conditions the second satellite, which would add most of the expansion gates, would begin construction; when construction of the first two terminals will begin; and how the city intends to cut billions of dollars in cost overruns to bring the project back to its original budget. * Crain’s | Offices near O’Hare with little vacancy hit the market: A joint venture of Calgary, Alberta-based MDC Realty Advisors and Vancouver, British Columbia-based Nicola Wealth Management has hired brokerage Cushman & Wakefield to sell the One O’Hare office building at 6250 N. River Road, according to a marketing flyer. The offering comes more than eight years after the pair of investors bought the 12-story building for $83 million. Amid weak demand for offices and higher interest rates weighing down property values, One O’Hare is almost certainly worth less than that today. There is no asking price listed for the 380,360-square-foot building, but a source familiar with the listing said bids are expected to come in close to $70 million, or $184 per square foot. * Block Club | Chicago Cinco De Mayo Parade Canceled Due To ‘Gang Violence,’ Police Say: The parade was called off shortly after it began at noon Sunday at Cermak Road and Damon Avenue. The cancellation was “out of an abundance of caution” following gang violence near the parade and the decision was made by police, local officials and parade organizers, according to the Chicago Police Department. Police said they made multiple arrests at the parade. Officers cleared the parade route around 1:30 p.m., the time the police department announced the parade’s cancellation on social media. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s top cop defends clearing officers on extremist group’s membership list: In October, Snelling had promised the City Council that the CPD would conduct “thorough investigations” and show no tolerance for cops with extremist connections. But Friday, at an unrelated news conference alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson, Snelling said he felt strongly there was no cause for action against the cops. “I can tell you that we reached out to everybody,” Snelling said. “Our internal affairs division has reached out to everyone to gather information to determine if these officers were actually proven to be members of hate groups.” * Daily Herald | Local law enforcement agencies find success in crisis intervention teams, training: The Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said that for five years the department has focused on a philosophy of de-escalation first when possible, and particularly when dealing with situations potentially involving a mental health crisis. “It’s proven to be extremely successful,” Covelli said. “It’s the right thing to do, to take time and engage in healthy dialogue with individuals, especially those who might be in crisis.” * Daily Herald | Cat condos and better digs for dogs: DuPage County animal shelter undergoing a $14 million expansion: The $14 million project is the first expansion of the Wheaton facility in the agency’s 45-year history. “It’s going to be a luxury to have twice the space that we have now once it’s all done,” DuPage County Animal Services Operations Manager Laura Flamion said. The project is being paid for through a mix of public and private funding. DuPage Animal Friends, a nonprofit benefiting the shelter, has helped secure more than $5.6 million for the project and is working on raising another $7.4 million through events and naming rights to various features — from dog kennels and trees to the new lobby — in the expanded facility. * SJ-R | Illinois postal workers march for transparency in Springfield amid USPS changes: Springfield residents had until April 10 to fill out a survey to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to voice their opinion on the changes before the USPS changes would start. During the picket line, Bishop said National Postal Mailhandlers President of the Springfield branch, Jeff Bridges, was informed impacted numbers were in for the Springfield distribution center, but the actual number was not given by USPS. * BND | St. Clair County Board approves pay raises for elected officials, but not unanimously: The St. Clair County Board voted 20-4 at their last meeting to increase elected officials’ salaries starting after the general election, including an 11% raise for the county board chairman.[…] The raises begin Jan. 1, 2025, when the chairman, treasurer, assessor, county clerk, auditor, circuit clerk, coroner and county recorder will all be paid $106,540. The other elected administrative officials were already making over $100,000 but the chairman’s salary was $95,899. * Tribune | ‘It still doesn’t feel real.’ Chicago wrestler Joe Rau’s improbable journey leads him to the Olympics — at age 33: In May 2022, Rau competed in freestyle at the U.S. Open and surprised everyone by finishing second. It didn’t take too long for Team USA’s Greco-Roman coaches to reach out and ask him to come back. “I told them no about three times, I think,” Rau said. “Then I just really did some soul searching and I talked to my wife. She said, if you really want to, I’m not stopping you.”  * WaPo | Senior homes refuse to pick up fallen residents, dial 911. ‘Why are they calling us?’: Some senior-care homes say they don’t have the ability to lift fallen residents. Many have adopted “no lift” policies to avoid the risk ofback injuries for staff and other potential liabilities. But firefighters and other experts say there are tools to make lifting easierand safer, ranging from $70 cloth straps with handles to $1,500 hydraulic lifts. Heritage Woods, which accounted for the highest number of lift-assist calls to 911 in Rockford last year, is owned by GardantManagement Solutions, the 10th largest assisted-living provider in the nation. * WaPo | Google’s empire is massive. A judge will soon rule if it’s a monopoly: The judge’s ruling, which is expected in the coming months, could put new limits on Google’s ability to run its search empire. The company may be barred from paying billions to secure prime placement for its search bar on Apple’s iPhones or other web browsers. It could even be forced to sell off part of its business, like the Chrome browser, and open up competition to other search engines. The judge could also rule that Google isn’t a monopoly after all, which would be a major setback for the government and antitrust advocates who say the power of Big Tech has grown too large. * AP | Celebrating excellence in journalism and the arts, Pulitzer Prizes to be awarded Monday: The Pulitzer Prizes are set to be announced on Monday, traditionally the most anticipated day of the year for those hoping to earn print journalism’s most prestigious honor. Along with honoring winners and finalists in 15 journalism categories, the Pulitzer Board also recognizes distinguished work in areas including books, music and theater. The awards, which will honor work from 2023, are scheduled to be announced via livestream at 3 p.m. Eastern time. * Business Times | More than 90% of stablecoin transactions aren’t from real users, study finds: The dashboard from Visa and Allium Labs is designed to strip out transactions initiated by bots and large-scale traders to isolate those made by real people. Out of about US$2.2 trillion in total transactions in April, just US$149 billion originated from “organic payments activity”, according to Visa. * Rolling Stone | ‘Politico’ Misses Mark in Story on Who’s Funding Pro-Palestine Protests Against Biden: The Tides Foundation donated roughly $100,000 that year to the pro-Palestine protest groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. Attempting to connect the $300,000 going into the organization, as part of its $573 million in contributions, to the $100,000 going out to these groups is unrealistic, to say the least, without any specific indication from the donor. … Politico continues: “Another notable Democratic donor whose philanthropy has helped fund the protest movement is David Rockefeller Jr., who sits on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2022, the fund gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation; according to nonprofit tax forms.” This is wrong. The linked document in that paragraph shows a donation the Tides Foundation made to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund — not the other way around. * AP | Missouri abortion-rights campaign turns in more than double the needed signatures to get on ballot: “Our message is simple and clear,” ACLU Missouri lawyer and campaign spokesperson Tori Schafer said in a statement. “We want to make decisions about our bodies free from political interference.” If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would ensure abortion rights until viability.
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- Murph - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 8:08 am:
Our beloved Chicago National League ballclub has weathered significant injuries to be playing .600 baseball as we near the season’s quarter pole. Deep playoff run is coming if they can either add a closer or help Alzolay right the ship!
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 8:29 am:
==University administrations should negotiate in good faith and refrain from police intervention==
University officials should clear out these encampments and certainly should not negotiate with these miscreants. I don’t have a lot of respect for pro-terrorists.
- JS Mill - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:00 am:
===University administrations should negotiate in good faith and refrain from police intervention==
University officials should clear out these encampments and certainly should not negotiate with these miscreants. I don’t have a lot of respect for pro-terrorists.=
100% agree. We are seeing the worst of the disinformation age in these protests.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:20 am:
Re: Manar’s tweet. Looks like after this weekend, that means Mozeliak and DeWitt have surpassed Reinsdorf as the worst owners in MLB.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:24 am:
“University officials should clear out these encampments and certainly should not negotiate with these miscreants. I don’t have a lot of respect for pro-terrorists.”
This is a really disgusting conflation of being “pro terrorist” with not wanting to watch your country fund ethnic cleansing.
But coward university administrators are going to do what coward university administrators have always done - whatever their wealthy donors tell them. Hence the ridiculous police crackdowns.
- H-W - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:38 am:
==University administrations should negotiate in good faith and refrain from police intervention==
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.
- Give Us Barabbas - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:43 am:
“… keeping the state fair profitable…”
That is not and never was the point. If it can break even that’s great but it was never meant to be a for- profit enterprise. Any “profit “ needs to be reinvested in the grounds and programs. JB is right about the neglect of the grounds. Every governor has made at least token efforts here and there around the margins to maintain the buildings and grounds. Some, more than others. The key is to create a mechanism that keeps the work going non stop. Rauner thought he created this in his term but it never took off, was more of a tax dodge for his supporters.
- Two Left Feet - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 9:53 am:
The right to protest can be restricted by disruption to education process and time/place/manner. If protesters don’t follow the rules, discipline then police. If institutions don’t follow the rules, then public pressure and lawsuits. Do we need other institutions taking moral positions? Townships, counties, fire districts, libraries, school districts, etc. No
- Wowie - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:02 am:
Oof, Shia….
- Wowie - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:11 am:
Yikes, here’s the full correction Politico had to add to the end of the article:
“CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seeds the Tides Foundation’s work. It no longer has active grants to Tides. It also said POLITICO contacted Gates. POLITICO contacted an agency that has represented the Gates Foundation but did not reach out directly to Gates. And it said IfNotNow was one of two of the main organizations behind the protests. IfNotNow is supporting protests, but students are leading them.”
That is a looooot of mistakes.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:16 am:
==I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.==
Doesn’t surprise me.
- Gravitas - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:31 am:
A report posted by Breitbart indicated that some of Governor Pritzker’s relatives from Hyatt Hotels are contributing to the the campus protesters. If true, this is troubling.
- Wowie - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:36 am:
==A report posted by Breitbart==
Lol, maybe we wait to see if this gets picked up by a non-extremely biased, historically bigoted news org before jumping to too many conclusions?
- ZC - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:37 am:
When the counter protestors show up (which is their right to be sure) having a strong university or even CPD presence is not only a good idea, it’s practically mandatory. Some of the protestors on both sides genuinely want to mix it up and start fighting.
I find the coverage and the they-said they-said narratives from both sides of the altercation at DePaul this weekend depressing. Spokespersons for both sides stressed how virtuous and peaceful their side was and how hateful the other side’s protestors were. I don’t have a lot of optimism about resolving this except to sort of wait out the school year clock and hope something resolves in Gaza over the summer before the fall starts up.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:48 am:
==A report posted by Breitbart==
Lol. That’s the “news source” you are gonna cite? Now I understand you a little more.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:49 am:
==and hope something resolves in Gaza==
That isn’t going to fix what they are “protesting” about.
- Mason County - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:51 am:
Cinco de Mayo cancellation. What gangs are causing this violence and the purported reasons for doing so?
the article does not state anything about this issue and it is important to know.
- Mason County - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:54 am:
If put on the ballot I believe the abortion rights ballot will pass even in Missouri. There are many “non liberals’ (for want of a better term) that support abortion rights as a matter of individual choice.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:55 am:
===A report posted by Breitbart ===
Breitbart lifted its meat from the Politico story thoroughly debunked by Rolling Stone, which is posted above.
Try to do better.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 10:58 am:
“Spokespersons for both sides stressed how virtuous and peaceful their side was and how hateful the other side’s protestors were.”
Look the bottom line is we need to be using police force to destroy these expressions of protest. As much police force as necessary. Crush these insolent children, they make me think too much and I don’t like that.
- Gravitas - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 11:09 am:
It would help if I was in a market where the daily newspapers actually provided detailed coverage. Since the legacy media is struggling, many of us are stuck trying to source news from the Internet.
The Governor is also be hammered for signing the elections bill, but given the source wasn’t the New York Times some will dismiss it.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 11:13 am:
===It would help if===
It would help if you actually read things before posting nonsense here and then when called on it didn’t try to deflect by blaming the mainstream media or whatever it was you did.
- JS Mill - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 11:36 am:
=A report posted by Breitbart indicated that some of Governor Pritzker’s relatives from Hyatt Hotels are contributing to the the campus protesters.=
Are they sponsoring the “Jewish space lasers” too?
=they make me think too much and I don’t like that.=
The problem isn’t that they make me think too much, the problem is that they don’t think enough. A basic, and I mean 2nd grade basic, understanding of events would (not just the last few years) would indicate that supporting hamas is being on the wrong side of these issues.
- H-W - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:27 pm:
== The problem isn’t that they make me think too much, the problem is that they don’t think enough. A basic, and I mean 2nd grade basic, understanding of events would (not just the last few years) would indicate that supporting hamas is being on the wrong side of these issues. ==
Sorry, JS Mill, but that’s just false in its inference.
Student protests have arisen because 33,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Government, as revenge for the killing of 2,000 Israelis by Hamas.
The students are protesting the killing of Palestinians, not supporting Hamas.
The students more generally are protesting the murder of 10s of thousands of women and children by a military force that has been armed to the hilt by billions of U.S. tax dollars, and by several U.S. corporations that contract with the U.S. government to provide weapons of mass destruction.
This is where the protests began. Students protesting the killing of innocent people as a result of “collateral damage” by the Israeli government in its attempt to kill Hamas.
Reps. Jimenez, Rashid, Guzzardi, Mah and Gonzalez et al. get it right.
Students have a legal, a constitutional, and a historic right to vocalize protest against collateral damage, and to voice their concern about our government’s role in a foreign war. It it is no different that other citizens voicing their concerns about China’s involvement with providing weaponry for Russia’s killing of Ukrainian civilians as collateral damage.
Murder is wrong. Always.
- Amalia - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:32 pm:
great clean water moonshot editorial by the govs & group head. so much that goverment, industries and educational institutions can do. but all of us can do our part as well. get rid of at least some of your lawn and replace with Illinois native plants which do well with little water. wean your lawn off chemicals. organic fertilizers work well. and you don’t have to water a non chemically treated lawn. if it goes dormant it will come back. leave the dandelions. if you hardscape, do it with pavers which have space for water to get into ground. no concrete. if we all do a bit we can keep big waters cleaner.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:55 pm:
=We are seeing the worst of the disinformation age in these protests.=
=would indicate that supporting hamas is being on the wrong side of these issues.=
Just absolutely stunning to see these two quotes juxtaposed, both by a commenter I used to respect.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:14 pm:
==many of us are stuck trying to source news from the Internet==
There’s plenty of legitimate news sources on the internet. Breitbart ain’t one of them.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:15 pm:
==The Governor is also be hammered for signing the elections bill, but given the source wasn’t the New York Times some will dismiss it.==
Ummm . . . that was talked about on this blog. I guess you must have missed it searching through all of those Breitbart stories.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:32 pm:
“supporting hamas is being on the wrong side of these issues”
So all the people protesting are out there because they love Hamas? That is wholly ridiculous and is based on the assumption that Israel has zero agency in anything it does.
Any of you protest police feel free to express where the killing should end. You’re all acting like the burden is on a bunch of powerless college kids.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:07 pm:
==Any of you protest police==
When these delinquents are to the point of disrupting the functioning of the university, including interfering with graduations and taking over buildings, then I’m all for the “protest police.” That’s no longer a legitimate protest. Treating them as criminals is perfectly fine in my eyes.
- Dotnonymous x - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:17 pm:
@Gravitas
The Internet ate my homework…too…very troubling indeed.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:17 pm:
===taking over buildings===
Serious question, has this happened in Illinois?
- JS Mill - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:17 pm:
=Just absolutely stunning to see these two quotes juxtaposed, both by a commenter I used to respect.=
Interesting that we cannot have opposing views and still respect one another. Sounds like that is a problem for you.
And both statements are true.
=So all the people protesting are out there because they love Hamas?=
Stick to things I actually stated not some strawman. The protest SUPPORT hamas whether intended or not.
If they were protesting the killing they would have been out there in force back in October when Hamas attacked a concert (full of the peers of the protesters) and villages while raping women and murdering women and children then taking hundreds hostage, many of which still remain hostage.
After withdrawing to gaza hamas proceeded to hide underground in a vast tunnel network, some of their facilities hidden beneath hospitals.
These are all facts not in dispute. What is in dispute is whether or not Israel has any responsibility to conduct anything but total war. Reasonable people can disagree on the extent, but I do not believe it reasonable to believe that Israel should not have attacked.=
=That is wholly ridiculous and is based on the assumption that Israel has zero agency in anything it does.=
Israel is exercising their agency and some disagree. I do not. Hamas has long sworn to wipe Israel off the. map. They maybe should have thought of that before attacking. And the students should think of that before accusing Israel of genocide.
=Any of you protest police feel free to express where the killing should end. You’re all acting like the burden is on a bunch of powerless college kids.=
No, I am disagreeing with their position and the violence of the pro-palestine/pro-hamas demonstrators. There is a deep irony being missed if they are protesting for peace.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:22 pm:
===the violence of the pro-palestine/pro-hamas demonstrators===
Again, has this manifested itself in Illinois?
- Model T - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:23 pm:
@ Larry Brown JR
When hostages are returned would be a great start.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:38 pm:
JS Mill - when you claim to be shaken by the disinfo from protestors but then very strongly imply that all protestors support hamas, which is disinfo, yes, I lose respect. Need a quote? Here’s yours:
“The problem isn’t that they make me think too much, the problem is that they don’t think enough. A basic, and I mean 2nd grade basic, understanding of events would (not just the last few years) would indicate that supporting hamas is being on the wrong side of these issues.”
Pretty dismissive of all protestors to my eyes. Here’s another quote:
“Stick to things I actually stated not some strawman. The protest SUPPORT hamas whether intended or not.”
You get to decide that for everyone, huh? Fine, but generally speaking, I expect better of educators.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:48 pm:
“The protest SUPPORT hamas whether intended or not.”
If I go out and stand on my street corner with a sign that says “Israel should stop bombing Gaza,” saying the same into a megaphone for other Americans to hear it, am I supporting Hamas?
I am sincerely interested in the answer.
- JS Mill - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:53 pm:
=You get to decide that for everyone, huh? Fine, but generally speaking, I expect better of educators.=
Such a silly statement. One, my role as an educator has nothing to do with my opinion of the protests. I am not the one deciding, not sure if you looked around but they seem to have chosen a side. I was near a protest yesterday and I clearly heard “from the river to the sea” chant. That one is pretty clear.
I am not dismissing the protestors, I am criticizing them. Maybe you don’t think I should do that, I guess you are the thought police now?
I appreciate much of your commentary. We disagree here. How you take that disagreement is on you and not me.
=Again, has this manifested itself in Illinois?=
So far not to the extent that it has in New York and California, but the Illinois protests are in their early stages and we have not gotten to the DNC Convention yet. There was a need for the police to separate the pro- palestine protesters and an pro-Israel protests (not assigning responsibility) but that is starting to get pretty close.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:56 pm:
==If I go out and stand on my street corner with a sign that says “Israel should stop bombing Gaza,” saying the same into a megaphone for other Americans to hear it, am I supporting Hamas?==
From my personal perspective, yes.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:57 pm:
==am I supporting Hamas?==
In a word: yes
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:57 pm:
sorry for the double post
- H-W - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:58 pm:
Hi Folks
I expressed my thoughts earlier, although they took time to be proofed. They are up around 12:30.
In short, JS, Demoralized, you are both on the wrong side of history - not the students. To suggest a 2nd grader has a more informed understanding of history is false, and name-calling (which Demoralized does openly).
The students who initiated these organized protests are not pro Hamas, and their actions do not “indirectly” support Hamas. Rather, they oppose the killing of innocent civilians in Palestine, a direct equivalence to the killing of innocent civilians in Israel.
To suggest protesting murder is unacceptable because we can justify the killing of one group (but not the other) is more akin the the thinking of 2nd graders. Murder is murder. It was not right in October, and it is not right now in Palestine.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 3:03 pm:
People, let’s do our best to keep this post on the topic of Illinois and events in Illinois.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 3:30 pm:
==which Demoralized does openly==
Lol. Sorry professor. Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
It doesn’t surprise me that someone from academia like you would be supporting the students. I wouldn’t expect anything else. I just happen to think they (and you) are wrong.
To keep it Illinois centric, when there are “protest” signs at places like Depaul which state “Free Palestine no matter what it takes” and “Jewish safety cannot be achieved until Palestine is free” then, yeah, I have a problem with those messages @H-W and I think you’re wrong for supporting such nonsense.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 3:34 pm:
I get it. Signs you don’t like on the DePaul campus are way worse than what’s happening Gaza right now. Quite a funhouse mirror of morality you’re living inside of.
- Demoralized - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 3:36 pm:
Hey, if you want to support terrorists be my guest.
- Loop Lady - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 4:02 pm:
Nursing homes get more expensive and the list of services they won’t perform grows longer. This has nothing to do with health and everything to do with limiting liability.
When my Mom was a resident, they wouldn’t put her pills in the container they were dispensed from. Ridiculous!
- JS Mill - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 5:03 pm:
I want to make sure I respect Rich’s “keep it Illinois centric’ better than my last post so these thoughts pertain to what I have personally observed, or saw video of on Chicago news stations, or were posted by people here.
I visited NU last week and passed a non student protest in Rockford (so maybe Rockford doesn’t count). Like many, I have also watched news reports from DePaul and NU. In all the above scenarios I saw and heard multiple “from the river to the sea” signs and chants as well as several other banners indicating Israel either didn’t have the right to exist or be eliminated (I apologize for not having the exact wording but there was no ambiguity to those slogans and banners). For those that have categorized the protests as being only against violence or killing how can calling for the elimination of Israel be non-violent and anti killing? and these are not outliers but very prominently displayed and shouted.
Please explain that to me.
I’ll wait…
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, May 6, 24 @ 6:31 pm:
You can demand answers from me after you demonstrate you are capable of discussing the topic honestly.
I get that you’re a Cap Fax golden commenter and all that but you’ve been on a tear of dishonest framing and disgusting mischaracterizations today.