Has enough yet been said about Trump? We know who and what he is. The real question is his followers. Here is a tale from my youth. I grew up in a neighborhood on the far south side. It was white back then. We constasaid disparaging things about blacks- amongst ourselves. We never would have said them among adults. We never would have said them directly to blacks. None of us actually knew any blacks. I never really knew any until my junior high of high school. They turned out to be real people, not animals and some were pretty nice. My point is this. There have always been people that thought like Trump. But they mostly kept their most predudicial thoughts hidden. Now they no longer keep them hidden because they have a presidential candidate who says things out loud they have always agreed with. Forget democracy. This is the way things always should have been done. People who disagree can go live elsewhere. If they refuse, they should be kicked out. If they insist on speaking out, they should be jailed because they are ruining America. Trump is simply tapping into a wellstream of hatred and not accepting the views of others that has always existed. In some ways, it is worse than a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, the leaders don't have the support of the people and don't care. They rule through fear. It's worse to have the support of a lot of people.
Not long ago, someone blasted the column for being skewed too far left and said they were leaving. Like everyone else, I have my personal opinions. But not enough people listen to the other side or accept that there is a middle. You want clarity? Fine. I despise Trump as a person and believe that makes him a poor choice for leader. But that wasn't my point. Either many disagree with my view, or for their own selfish reasons support his proposed policies. They are allowed to do that. But they don't seem to accept that it is just as okay for people to disagree with them. Did you read the Trump interview? He is proposing to pretty much throw out the Bill of Rights so he can get things done his way. That is most definitely not my view of America. What I find really disturbing is how many agree him. Who needs democracy as long as we can get things done our way?
Back on the farm in Wisconsin in the ‘50s, when just about everyone had chickens, a “good” dog that killed a chicken maybe got one more chance—yelled at and swatted with the carcas, probably. After that, boom. Fortunately never had that happen to us, but what else could you do? Remember there was no other option than to lose part of your livelihood.
Ever try training the dogs? There is no such thing as a bad dog, though there are those who are trained to be "bad." Why did you have dogs if you valued them so little?
I doubt very much this Noem woman's livelihood depended on the actions of the dog she treated so carelessly and callously. The goat she boasted of killing because it smelled bad was certainly not part of her livelihood. Sounds like an ideal VP candidate for Agent Orange.
I read that the reason Noem wrote about the killings was that there were workers in the gravel pit who witnessed her actions and she wanted to "get ahead of the story". Well, she certainly got ahead of the story.
I grew up on a farm with cats, chickens, sheep, cattle, a horse, and dogs. None of the many dogs we had over the years killed anything on the farm. I'm not sure how we might have trained them not to kill animals but whatever it was, it worked.
Medill already lost some credibility with me a while back when it changed its name to "Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications." I'm sure integrated marketing communications comprise a skill worthy of study and advanced degrees. They don't, however, seem to have anything to do with journalism, more like the opposite. Medill now has two branches -- the part where you learn how to get at the truth, and the part where you learn how to lie. Now we learn that neither branch is about truth anymore! They should change the name again to The Medill School of Bullshit. I think that covers the new lay of the land.
An extreme view (hopefully way too extreme): If Trump is elected he will appoint a lot of sadistic assholes who will do his dirty work while he hobnobs with other dictators and rich supporters.
Not extreme in the least, but a definite given. We already got a taste of that in his first admin, with Steven Miller's policy of taking children away from asylum seekers and not even keeping records of them for possible reunification.
"The current proposal is a non-starter". That's from a Pritzker spokesman. You know, someone could make a lot of money by inventing a dictionary or web site that interprets political speech for the rest of us. Look at the statement. Someone tell me what it means. What proposal would be acceptable? Well, to most of us that the Bears pay for their own pleasure palace. But what else? Who pays for the needed infrastructure? Should the new stadium even be located there? Has there ever been a new stadium made that didn't include huge ticket price raises, meaning I'll never see the inside of it? Why does it need to be on the lakefront which should be available for everyone, not just football fans? How do they fix the traffic and parking problems, a large part of the present problems? The only thing I see coming from Pritzker is that he doesn't like present proposals. I didn't see "no".
It means the proposal submitted is not acceptable, as I would have thought was absolutely obvious. Perhaps "Take your damned proposal and shove it" would have been more direct.
Perhaps "Come back with a proposal funded entirely by you and other private entities and that does not involve a lakeshore eyesore" would have been better.
Yup.. When declining an invitation the only answer I will give is "That doesn't work for me." No excuses, no reasons. Any of which would give an entry point for arguing with me.
So, Thrasher would support Trump's lies, if it suited his personal ethics. Thrasher should lose his job, he hasn't the nature to teach journalism, propaganda yes.
As for "Though I later conceded that the tone of that column was too chilly and analytical given the inherent tragedy of a dead child", I don't agree. Your assessment was driven by the situation. Facts are what counts.
Sorry Eric, but the correct term for them is pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist & pro-hating Jews!
They're displaying Nazi swastikas & six pointed stars with a red slash across it, along with that vile "From the river to the sea" bullshit, which means killing every Jew in Israel!
Good point, sir! I wonder how many people realize that many Muslim states supported Hitler's cause. But most never got active militarily. They waited to see which way the wind would blow. When it became obvious the Allies were winning, the either sat it out or supported us. But they never had a problem with Hitler's pogrom.
You are entirely correct Garry. If you Google the campus occupations, it is not the exception to see people chanting From the river to the sea, Globalize the intifada, I am Hamas, etc. Jewish students and even faculty and staff are being told to stay away from campus. The parallels between the current leftist campus provocations and Nazi Germany in the 30's are too real to ignore.
All this talk of ‘from the river to the sea’ having a benign meaning is rich coming a couple years after the thumb and forefinger okay sign was unofficially outlawed.
God, "Tune of the Week" just keeps giving and giving. I'm free riding on my daughter's Apple Music sub and going to listen to all Finom for the next month I imagine.
Re "Prof. Thrasher": I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him quoted in the coverage of the NU encampment. But that's because I didn't realize he was the Medill prof who told Eric he wasn't interested in communication. I bet many of Eric's readers remember his initial Adam Toledo column and the kerfuffle that ensued. I don't recall anyone else in town having the guts to simply state that we as a society should wait for actual facts before passing judgement in confused, fraught situations like a police shooting--and immediately, when that kind of common sense was most needed. And it actually *did * take guts at that time to publicly back the idea of due process for a police officer involved in a shooting. The blowback shows that. It wasn't the column's tone, it was the basic message of fairness. As a Medill alum, I'm even more embarrassed about Thrasher than the school's current name. Excuse me while I send an outraged alum email.
As another Medill alum, I am horrified this man is a professor. He should be fired, immediately. I, too, hadn't remembered him from the Toledo column (I do remember agreeing with EZ, though!) but I won't forget his latest gas-bagging.
I wonder if anyone besides me compares Eric Zorn with Bill Maher. Both Liberals who bash Trump, but criticize the Left when warranted. Eric: What do you think of Bill Maher and do you agree with my (general) comparison?
Agreed, that's one of the things that makes Eric's coverage and analysis valuable--you know his general liberal disposition, but also that he follows the facts where they lead regardless. Actual journalism, in other words. He's someone you don't have to fact check to see if he purposely slanted some supporting point to make a predetermined argument. That's pretty valuable these days!
Oh re Bill Maher: Of course he's a comedian, not a journalist, so I don't rely on a Bill Maher monologue. But he'll attack a pretty diverse spectrum of political positions for sure.
Saying that Maher is “just a comedian” seems unduly dismissive. Among the social and political commentariat, Maher strikes me as one of our finest thinkers (for TV, anyway), if a bit of an agent provocateur. EZ has said as much about him in these very pages, and holds him in great esteem.
The lakefront stadium proposal is insane. Bears officials zip down from their North Suburban castles to proclaim how their plan will serve all Chicagoans for decades. Laughable, but also offensive on every level. Perhaps the Beloved Bears should reach out to their corporate partners (you know, the ones who use those luxury suites to do business and impress their clientele) and ask if they’d be willing to pony up the several billion dollars to build that thing. Let them share the risk. Otherwise, you’ll have another gleaming monstrosity, useful only to those who already have generational wealth, and accessible only to those who can pay the 3- to 5-figure $ prices for tickets, while regular Chicago neighborhoods go without basic infrastructure improvements. Pritzker needs to cut off any oxygen to this billionaire enhancement scheme, and invite the Bears to look elsewhere.
The Bears already have an elsewhere, it's Arlington Park, which they own. It's just that the cheapo McCaskeys don't want to pay real estate taxes on a multi-billion dollar property!
McCaskey Strategy: "What's a couple hundred million to buy and tear down Arlington Racetrack, if it will scare Mayor Johnson into helping us nab several billion dollars in public money to build us a new home on the lakefront? We may eat some real estate tax money for a few years, but it'll be worth it. Besides, we can sell and/or develop the Arlington heights property and make a separate profit in that parcel anyway."
Let's make this strategy a losing one for the McCaskeys, and let them live with an Arlington Heights stadium.
I really doubt that they are that clever & devious.
I think they just saw a sucker in Brandon Johnson, who is desperate for any kind of win & somehow convinced that fool that if the Bears leave the city, he will get blamed for it.
The Ruth Buzzi Twitter account is authentic. She is living in Texas. (I followed her before I left X). I have found that not all jokes she posts are necessarily original. But her post is the one that got my attention.
Regarding the protests being pro peace. The only way they make sense is if they could influence the president to ship or not ship weapons to Israel. So it is really pro Palestine/Hamas vs pro Israel. The nation of Israel itself does not care what people on US campuses think.
I have no doubt that Israel wants peace. I do not think Hamas does. The issue of the moment is what conditions must be met for Israel to pause its military operation in Gaza.
Eric States that he believes the campus agitators want peace and even states he believes they want release of the hostages. I have to call Eric out on that total misstatement of facts. I have yet to see any of the probably hundreds of videos I have seen of the campus riots where there was any voices or signs calling for release of the hostages.
Regarding #45 being willing to gut the pandemic preparedness spending, wasn’t that a complaint we heard about Obama and why we weren’t prepared last time?
No, Obama's staff had prepared a huge book on what to do if there was a pandemic & the fat orange traitor had it thrown into the garbage, just because Obama had it done!
I’ve been getting this newsletter long enough to remember the initial story of Adam Toledo and Thrasher. This is why there was so much made of the NPR guy writing recently that everyone there is Democrat. Too many ‘journalists’ can’t be objective. I find you to be an exception to that. That’s why this Republican (old school) reads you.
Regarding the Bears, how do those current seat licenses work? Do they transfer, or were they going to expire anyway? Do the ticket holders have to pony up that money again?
Has enough yet been said about Trump? We know who and what he is. The real question is his followers. Here is a tale from my youth. I grew up in a neighborhood on the far south side. It was white back then. We constasaid disparaging things about blacks- amongst ourselves. We never would have said them among adults. We never would have said them directly to blacks. None of us actually knew any blacks. I never really knew any until my junior high of high school. They turned out to be real people, not animals and some were pretty nice. My point is this. There have always been people that thought like Trump. But they mostly kept their most predudicial thoughts hidden. Now they no longer keep them hidden because they have a presidential candidate who says things out loud they have always agreed with. Forget democracy. This is the way things always should have been done. People who disagree can go live elsewhere. If they refuse, they should be kicked out. If they insist on speaking out, they should be jailed because they are ruining America. Trump is simply tapping into a wellstream of hatred and not accepting the views of others that has always existed. In some ways, it is worse than a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, the leaders don't have the support of the people and don't care. They rule through fear. It's worse to have the support of a lot of people.
Mr. Siegel - I recommend that you edit your post for clarity. I think your post can be read to conflate your views with views of Trump supporters.
Not long ago, someone blasted the column for being skewed too far left and said they were leaving. Like everyone else, I have my personal opinions. But not enough people listen to the other side or accept that there is a middle. You want clarity? Fine. I despise Trump as a person and believe that makes him a poor choice for leader. But that wasn't my point. Either many disagree with my view, or for their own selfish reasons support his proposed policies. They are allowed to do that. But they don't seem to accept that it is just as okay for people to disagree with them. Did you read the Trump interview? He is proposing to pretty much throw out the Bill of Rights so he can get things done his way. That is most definitely not my view of America. What I find really disturbing is how many agree him. Who needs democracy as long as we can get things done our way?
Back on the farm in Wisconsin in the ‘50s, when just about everyone had chickens, a “good” dog that killed a chicken maybe got one more chance—yelled at and swatted with the carcas, probably. After that, boom. Fortunately never had that happen to us, but what else could you do? Remember there was no other option than to lose part of your livelihood.
Ever try training the dogs? There is no such thing as a bad dog, though there are those who are trained to be "bad." Why did you have dogs if you valued them so little?
I doubt very much this Noem woman's livelihood depended on the actions of the dog she treated so carelessly and callously. The goat she boasted of killing because it smelled bad was certainly not part of her livelihood. Sounds like an ideal VP candidate for Agent Orange.
She's a sociopath.
I read that the reason Noem wrote about the killings was that there were workers in the gravel pit who witnessed her actions and she wanted to "get ahead of the story". Well, she certainly got ahead of the story.
I grew up on a farm with cats, chickens, sheep, cattle, a horse, and dogs. None of the many dogs we had over the years killed anything on the farm. I'm not sure how we might have trained them not to kill animals but whatever it was, it worked.
Medill already lost some credibility with me a while back when it changed its name to "Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications." I'm sure integrated marketing communications comprise a skill worthy of study and advanced degrees. They don't, however, seem to have anything to do with journalism, more like the opposite. Medill now has two branches -- the part where you learn how to get at the truth, and the part where you learn how to lie. Now we learn that neither branch is about truth anymore! They should change the name again to The Medill School of Bullshit. I think that covers the new lay of the land.
An extreme view (hopefully way too extreme): If Trump is elected he will appoint a lot of sadistic assholes who will do his dirty work while he hobnobs with other dictators and rich supporters.
Not extreme in the least, but a definite given. We already got a taste of that in his first admin, with Steven Miller's policy of taking children away from asylum seekers and not even keeping records of them for possible reunification.
"The current proposal is a non-starter". That's from a Pritzker spokesman. You know, someone could make a lot of money by inventing a dictionary or web site that interprets political speech for the rest of us. Look at the statement. Someone tell me what it means. What proposal would be acceptable? Well, to most of us that the Bears pay for their own pleasure palace. But what else? Who pays for the needed infrastructure? Should the new stadium even be located there? Has there ever been a new stadium made that didn't include huge ticket price raises, meaning I'll never see the inside of it? Why does it need to be on the lakefront which should be available for everyone, not just football fans? How do they fix the traffic and parking problems, a large part of the present problems? The only thing I see coming from Pritzker is that he doesn't like present proposals. I didn't see "no".
It means the proposal submitted is not acceptable, as I would have thought was absolutely obvious. Perhaps "Take your damned proposal and shove it" would have been more direct.
I agree with you. The problem is what was not said. What would be a starter?
Perhaps "Come back with a proposal funded entirely by you and other private entities and that does not involve a lakeshore eyesore" would have been better.
You want to run for governor?
I suspect he’s deliberately withholding specifics to protect any bargaining leverage. Unwise to show your cards so early in the deal.
Thank you! Exactly my point! Many are probably cheering thinking he is on their side. That's not what he said and most likely not what he means.
Yup.. When declining an invitation the only answer I will give is "That doesn't work for me." No excuses, no reasons. Any of which would give an entry point for arguing with me.
So, Thrasher would support Trump's lies, if it suited his personal ethics. Thrasher should lose his job, he hasn't the nature to teach journalism, propaganda yes.
As for "Though I later conceded that the tone of that column was too chilly and analytical given the inherent tragedy of a dead child", I don't agree. Your assessment was driven by the situation. Facts are what counts.
Sorry Eric, but the correct term for them is pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist & pro-hating Jews!
They're displaying Nazi swastikas & six pointed stars with a red slash across it, along with that vile "From the river to the sea" bullshit, which means killing every Jew in Israel!
Good point, sir! I wonder how many people realize that many Muslim states supported Hitler's cause. But most never got active militarily. They waited to see which way the wind would blow. When it became obvious the Allies were winning, the either sat it out or supported us. But they never had a problem with Hitler's pogrom.
You are entirely correct Garry. If you Google the campus occupations, it is not the exception to see people chanting From the river to the sea, Globalize the intifada, I am Hamas, etc. Jewish students and even faculty and staff are being told to stay away from campus. The parallels between the current leftist campus provocations and Nazi Germany in the 30's are too real to ignore.
All this talk of ‘from the river to the sea’ having a benign meaning is rich coming a couple years after the thumb and forefinger okay sign was unofficially outlawed.
God, "Tune of the Week" just keeps giving and giving. I'm free riding on my daughter's Apple Music sub and going to listen to all Finom for the next month I imagine.
for the longer version, here's an hour show filmed at Constellation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QYwYTjjwiU
Re "Prof. Thrasher": I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him quoted in the coverage of the NU encampment. But that's because I didn't realize he was the Medill prof who told Eric he wasn't interested in communication. I bet many of Eric's readers remember his initial Adam Toledo column and the kerfuffle that ensued. I don't recall anyone else in town having the guts to simply state that we as a society should wait for actual facts before passing judgement in confused, fraught situations like a police shooting--and immediately, when that kind of common sense was most needed. And it actually *did * take guts at that time to publicly back the idea of due process for a police officer involved in a shooting. The blowback shows that. It wasn't the column's tone, it was the basic message of fairness. As a Medill alum, I'm even more embarrassed about Thrasher than the school's current name. Excuse me while I send an outraged alum email.
As another Medill alum, I am horrified this man is a professor. He should be fired, immediately. I, too, hadn't remembered him from the Toledo column (I do remember agreeing with EZ, though!) but I won't forget his latest gas-bagging.
I wonder if anyone besides me compares Eric Zorn with Bill Maher. Both Liberals who bash Trump, but criticize the Left when warranted. Eric: What do you think of Bill Maher and do you agree with my (general) comparison?
Agreed, that's one of the things that makes Eric's coverage and analysis valuable--you know his general liberal disposition, but also that he follows the facts where they lead regardless. Actual journalism, in other words. He's someone you don't have to fact check to see if he purposely slanted some supporting point to make a predetermined argument. That's pretty valuable these days!
Oh re Bill Maher: Of course he's a comedian, not a journalist, so I don't rely on a Bill Maher monologue. But he'll attack a pretty diverse spectrum of political positions for sure.
Saying that Maher is “just a comedian” seems unduly dismissive. Among the social and political commentariat, Maher strikes me as one of our finest thinkers (for TV, anyway), if a bit of an agent provocateur. EZ has said as much about him in these very pages, and holds him in great esteem.
Not dismissing Bill Maher, I didn’t think there was any shame in being in a different category! After all I’d put George Carlin that category as well.
The lakefront stadium proposal is insane. Bears officials zip down from their North Suburban castles to proclaim how their plan will serve all Chicagoans for decades. Laughable, but also offensive on every level. Perhaps the Beloved Bears should reach out to their corporate partners (you know, the ones who use those luxury suites to do business and impress their clientele) and ask if they’d be willing to pony up the several billion dollars to build that thing. Let them share the risk. Otherwise, you’ll have another gleaming monstrosity, useful only to those who already have generational wealth, and accessible only to those who can pay the 3- to 5-figure $ prices for tickets, while regular Chicago neighborhoods go without basic infrastructure improvements. Pritzker needs to cut off any oxygen to this billionaire enhancement scheme, and invite the Bears to look elsewhere.
The Bears already have an elsewhere, it's Arlington Park, which they own. It's just that the cheapo McCaskeys don't want to pay real estate taxes on a multi-billion dollar property!
McCaskey Strategy: "What's a couple hundred million to buy and tear down Arlington Racetrack, if it will scare Mayor Johnson into helping us nab several billion dollars in public money to build us a new home on the lakefront? We may eat some real estate tax money for a few years, but it'll be worth it. Besides, we can sell and/or develop the Arlington heights property and make a separate profit in that parcel anyway."
Let's make this strategy a losing one for the McCaskeys, and let them live with an Arlington Heights stadium.
I really doubt that they are that clever & devious.
I think they just saw a sucker in Brandon Johnson, who is desperate for any kind of win & somehow convinced that fool that if the Bears leave the city, he will get blamed for it.
Re: The Time story.
You have the link labeled as "How Far Trump Would Go?."
That's not what the headline is. It's framed not as a question, but as a statement: "How Far Trump Would Go."
A subtle yet frightening difference.
The Ruth Buzzi Twitter account is authentic. She is living in Texas. (I followed her before I left X). I have found that not all jokes she posts are necessarily original. But her post is the one that got my attention.
Regarding the protests being pro peace. The only way they make sense is if they could influence the president to ship or not ship weapons to Israel. So it is really pro Palestine/Hamas vs pro Israel. The nation of Israel itself does not care what people on US campuses think.
I have no doubt that Israel wants peace. I do not think Hamas does. The issue of the moment is what conditions must be met for Israel to pause its military operation in Gaza.
Eric States that he believes the campus agitators want peace and even states he believes they want release of the hostages. I have to call Eric out on that total misstatement of facts. I have yet to see any of the probably hundreds of videos I have seen of the campus riots where there was any voices or signs calling for release of the hostages.
Regarding #45 being willing to gut the pandemic preparedness spending, wasn’t that a complaint we heard about Obama and why we weren’t prepared last time?
No, Obama's staff had prepared a huge book on what to do if there was a pandemic & the fat orange traitor had it thrown into the garbage, just because Obama had it done!
I’ve been getting this newsletter long enough to remember the initial story of Adam Toledo and Thrasher. This is why there was so much made of the NPR guy writing recently that everyone there is Democrat. Too many ‘journalists’ can’t be objective. I find you to be an exception to that. That’s why this Republican (old school) reads you.
Regarding the Bears, how do those current seat licenses work? Do they transfer, or were they going to expire anyway? Do the ticket holders have to pony up that money again?
I believe it's pay up again, this time, triple what you paid the last time!