Regarding mayor-elect Johnson’s comments about the “rampaging youth” gathering downtown on the weekends, I really hope he comes up with some coherent plan before the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
My take on the Toledo matter is this. The cop made a tragic mistake. You can’t shout directions at an offender and kill them when they follow it without consequences. A cop who makes a mistake like that and kills someone is done. Not charged with murder. Free to go on with his life. Just not as a cop. That’s the consequence.
"Very complicated interactions get reduced to “innocent, unarmed person gratuitously murdered” and then amplified into a cause for rage." As a fellow leftie, thank you for presenting a necessary counterpoint to the prescripted reaction when such tragedies are reported.
The Ardaway issue is why I disliked Johnson. It had become clear that the balance of public health issues weighed in favor of reopening schools. The 20-20 hindsight from very knowledgeable public health officials is that they shouldn’t have been closed as long as they were. That’s tough on teachers but sometimes the science doesn’t support what you want. Ardaway made the right call based on science. Being mad about that is immature and deliberately ignorant.
Let's see if I get this right. A hard-working and valuable doctor is not fitting into Brandon Johnson's administration but rampaging teens should not be demonized for their destruction and violence?
I always appreciate the mailbag. Very interested to hear what actual Chicagoans and suburbanites (not just those who live online) think about news and issues.
Thank you for your continued emphasis about exploring the facts on police confrontations. Very intelligent people continue to get it wrong. One year ago, when John McWhorter told Glenn Loury "no normal liberal would want to go to the trouble to find the facts" about the Trayvon Martin case, it was unfortunate he wasn't familiar with your work. It's 4 mins in here:
I'll take a much bigger leap, beyond the importance to the cause of reform. If the movement that started in 2014 had focused on the most egregious cases and not jumped on the bandwagon for Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Jacob Blake, etc., IMO there would have been no President Trump, no 3 new conservative SCOTUS, no overturning of Roe V Wade, no Ferguson effect, less rioting & therefore no Kyle Rittenhouse saga, less victimhood, and a much smaller crime wave, if at all. A very different country.
Regarding the split seconds that police often have to make a decision whether to shoot, Reminds me of the old saying, “I’d rather be tried by twelve than carried by six.”
I know that the Oshita Bridge is not objectively or analytically the best joke there. But it was the only one that provoked giggling-while-alone, so I had to vote for it.
I'm beginning to worry that this Johnson fellow will never answer a question about anything ever and/or that, when he does, his answer will be wrong.
At the time, a lot of CTU was ready to go back. It wasn't only a science debate. The issues were more about clarification on policy, such as sick days, what would constitute going remote again, how to handle immunocompromised teachers / students, covid testing, masking, etc. As I understand it, CPS was not providing answers, just "time to go back". Johnson could be explaining that better, but regardless, that's not on Arwady. She just happened to be the face of "go back" in the minds of many at CTU.
Some would have our police officers have to wait until the bullet is in the air coming at them before permitting them to even unholster their service revolvers. That type of thinking will keep our Police Academy’s dwindling til the Out of Business sign is on the locked door.
Dear 18% of all Chicago voters who elected Brandon Johnson as Mayor of Chicago:
1. Do not feign surprise at Johnson's first inclination is to take out Doctor Arwady because she committed the grievous sin of "following the science" and directing Chicago schools to finally reopen to in person learning. The CTU elected Johnson, and they will now continue to call the shots for the next 4 years. Please do not try to say you did not know this would happen.
2. Don't you dare "demonize" the overwhelmingly black mobs of young lawbreakers who came downtown to commit property damage, terrorize and assault people and commit general mayhem in large groups. Anyone who did not recognize Johnson's penchant for excusing lawlessness in the streets, and passionate desire to defund and handcuff policing is not being intellectually honest.
(And a shout out to the 65% of Chicago voters who either did not bother to vote or like Eric, could not bring themselves to vote for Johnson's opponent - feeling a little regret yet?)
Yeah, we lefties who think bringing guns to a knife fight, or in the cases you cite, fist fight or skateboard fight, is a bad idea, are simply unable to see the objective facts. I mean, it can't possibly be that Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman were running around armed in situations where they shouldn't have been because they wanted an excuse to shoot someone? I do not in fact live in a liberal bubble, and too many 2nd amendment absolutists talk like they are itching to use those guns on people. This seems to me to be the motivation behind no permit, open carry laws. (In addition to the joy of "owning libs," of course.) A gun is an inherent!y dangerous product; unless you are in law enforcement or the military, a standard of strict liability should apply.
Mayor-elect Johnson's remarks on the youth violence over the weekend are seriously redolent of our former President's remark that were "fine people on both sides" in the white nationalist march in Charlottesville.
Regarding mayor-elect Johnson’s comments about the “rampaging youth” gathering downtown on the weekends, I really hope he comes up with some coherent plan before the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
My take on the Toledo matter is this. The cop made a tragic mistake. You can’t shout directions at an offender and kill them when they follow it without consequences. A cop who makes a mistake like that and kills someone is done. Not charged with murder. Free to go on with his life. Just not as a cop. That’s the consequence.
"Very complicated interactions get reduced to “innocent, unarmed person gratuitously murdered” and then amplified into a cause for rage." As a fellow leftie, thank you for presenting a necessary counterpoint to the prescripted reaction when such tragedies are reported.
I had a great laugh at the visual tweets this morning - especially the cupcakes and cat tweets. Nice start to the day.
The Ardaway issue is why I disliked Johnson. It had become clear that the balance of public health issues weighed in favor of reopening schools. The 20-20 hindsight from very knowledgeable public health officials is that they shouldn’t have been closed as long as they were. That’s tough on teachers but sometimes the science doesn’t support what you want. Ardaway made the right call based on science. Being mad about that is immature and deliberately ignorant.
Let's see if I get this right. A hard-working and valuable doctor is not fitting into Brandon Johnson's administration but rampaging teens should not be demonized for their destruction and violence?
WOW, am I glad I do not live in Chicago
I always appreciate the mailbag. Very interested to hear what actual Chicagoans and suburbanites (not just those who live online) think about news and issues.
Johnson's rejection of Arwady makes one wonder...is CTU dictating the next mayor's agenda and priorities?
Thank you for your continued emphasis about exploring the facts on police confrontations. Very intelligent people continue to get it wrong. One year ago, when John McWhorter told Glenn Loury "no normal liberal would want to go to the trouble to find the facts" about the Trayvon Martin case, it was unfortunate he wasn't familiar with your work. It's 4 mins in here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuEyDXsHux8
I'll take a much bigger leap, beyond the importance to the cause of reform. If the movement that started in 2014 had focused on the most egregious cases and not jumped on the bandwagon for Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Jacob Blake, etc., IMO there would have been no President Trump, no 3 new conservative SCOTUS, no overturning of Roe V Wade, no Ferguson effect, less rioting & therefore no Kyle Rittenhouse saga, less victimhood, and a much smaller crime wave, if at all. A very different country.
Regarding the split seconds that police often have to make a decision whether to shoot, Reminds me of the old saying, “I’d rather be tried by twelve than carried by six.”
I know that the Oshita Bridge is not objectively or analytically the best joke there. But it was the only one that provoked giggling-while-alone, so I had to vote for it.
I'm beginning to worry that this Johnson fellow will never answer a question about anything ever and/or that, when he does, his answer will be wrong.
At the time, a lot of CTU was ready to go back. It wasn't only a science debate. The issues were more about clarification on policy, such as sick days, what would constitute going remote again, how to handle immunocompromised teachers / students, covid testing, masking, etc. As I understand it, CPS was not providing answers, just "time to go back". Johnson could be explaining that better, but regardless, that's not on Arwady. She just happened to be the face of "go back" in the minds of many at CTU.
Some would have our police officers have to wait until the bullet is in the air coming at them before permitting them to even unholster their service revolvers. That type of thinking will keep our Police Academy’s dwindling til the Out of Business sign is on the locked door.
Dear 18% of all Chicago voters who elected Brandon Johnson as Mayor of Chicago:
1. Do not feign surprise at Johnson's first inclination is to take out Doctor Arwady because she committed the grievous sin of "following the science" and directing Chicago schools to finally reopen to in person learning. The CTU elected Johnson, and they will now continue to call the shots for the next 4 years. Please do not try to say you did not know this would happen.
2. Don't you dare "demonize" the overwhelmingly black mobs of young lawbreakers who came downtown to commit property damage, terrorize and assault people and commit general mayhem in large groups. Anyone who did not recognize Johnson's penchant for excusing lawlessness in the streets, and passionate desire to defund and handcuff policing is not being intellectually honest.
(And a shout out to the 65% of Chicago voters who either did not bother to vote or like Eric, could not bring themselves to vote for Johnson's opponent - feeling a little regret yet?)
Yeah, we lefties who think bringing guns to a knife fight, or in the cases you cite, fist fight or skateboard fight, is a bad idea, are simply unable to see the objective facts. I mean, it can't possibly be that Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman were running around armed in situations where they shouldn't have been because they wanted an excuse to shoot someone? I do not in fact live in a liberal bubble, and too many 2nd amendment absolutists talk like they are itching to use those guns on people. This seems to me to be the motivation behind no permit, open carry laws. (In addition to the joy of "owning libs," of course.) A gun is an inherent!y dangerous product; unless you are in law enforcement or the military, a standard of strict liability should apply.
Mayor-elect Johnson's remarks on the youth violence over the weekend are seriously redolent of our former President's remark that were "fine people on both sides" in the white nationalist march in Charlottesville.