Jackson Park is beloved by countless individuals and families from Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore and many other neighborhoods across the city. It is the backyard for many who do not have green space at home. The nature sanctuary is a priceless resource for neighbors, friends and migratory birds.
Tiny “nature areas” proposed in the golf course plan will NOT make up for the loss of this space. Bringing golf course areas treated with toxic chemicals right to the edge of the lake won’t be beneficial for lake water quality.
At a time when climate change is causing more volatile weather and the city has acknowledged a climate emergency and announced a climate action plan, I’m sure that I’m not the only one finding it ironic that some in the city government are supporting a plan that would cut down 2106 trees to accommodate a golf course that would be unaffordable to most nearby residents.
This is a public park that belongs to all residents of Chicago, not a much smaller number of golfers who will play there. Local residents have the right to be informed about plans for the park and participate in public input.
The nature sanctuary is a treasure that should not be destroyed. We should improve the existing golf courses and keep them affordable, not destroy beloved public spaces and thousands of trees.
–Anne Alt, Chicago
No more ‘Law and Order’
Showtime has a series entitled “The First Lady.” In episode one there is a scene in which George and Laura Bush are graciously showing Barack and Michelle Obama around the White House in a kind of orientation. The scene is fictional, but I remember reading in Michelle’s book how nicely her family was treated by the outgoing first family. Obama and Bush even worked together during the transition to come up with a bipartisan plan to attack the Recession of 2008. Can anyone imagine these things happening in 2020?
Every losing president has conceded. No losing president has ever failed to acknowledge the results. This time the losing president failed to protect the members of Congress and encouraged the deadliest assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812. Fake sets of electors were set up in several swing states and calls were made to pressure state government officials to “find more votes.”
Even worse are the Republicans who met recently to praise Kevin McCarthy for walking back his original disparaging remarks to the President for “going too far.” People died. Property was damaged. Congressmen feared for their lives, and hundreds were arrested. Yet Republican Congressmen call this “old news” and rally around the theme that nothing bad happened. They want the committee to stop investigating.
This used to be the “law and order” party. This party calls themselves Patriots. They took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. I wonder if these Congressmen have even read it.
—Jan Goldberg, Riverside
Obama’s vanity project
Re: “Olmsted’s Chicago parks” (April 28), Olmsted, who was a visionary in setting aside green space for the enjoyment of all, would be appalled at the process of gifting public parkland to the Obama Foundation. At the bottom, this was, unfortunately, a done deal by those who felt they needed to ingratiate themselves to former President Barack Obama, who, in the eyes of some, is Chicago’s favorite son. However, the reality of the Obama Center is that the bricks and mortar colossus is Barack Obama’s personal vanity project. If one traces the arc of his career it is “all about me” and not the public good.
—Ronald Kallen, Highland Park
Aware of biases
A new poll just released has some “eye-popping” numbers. These numbers, perhaps, in the context of a “trumpified” Republican Party may not be surprising, but they’re still shocking. Less than half of Republicans polled view antisemitism as a “major problem” for a candidate; only a little more than a third view racist comments as a problem and even fewer, only one-fourth view homophobic comments as an issue for a candidate.
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These statistics are troubling and dismaying. Also, disturbing, however, is that in the putatively much more progressive Democratic Party, there is a meaningful minority who would not reject political candidates who espouse antisemitic, homophobic and even racist comments. If this number of people are willing to publicly admit these prejudices, how many more feel this way in private?
If we are to ever live in a society where all are accepted and treated with dignity and without prejudice, we must recognize that such predispositions are evolutionarily embedded in our psyche. This is what makes them so very difficult to overcome and eradicate. Awareness is not the final step in ridding ourselves of these abhorrent biases, but it is a necessary first step.
—Ken Derow, Swarthmore, Pa.
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