The motto “walk a mile in my moccasins” means people can build empathy for us by going through what we have gone through. The words, actually “walk a mile in his moccasins,” are from the 1895 poem “Judge Softly” by Mary T. Lathrap.
There are ways in which this empathetic experience can benefit others and help solve problems.
The Tribune Editorial Board asserts in its Aug. 16 editorial that Springfield uses “a broken system” to handle claims of sexual harassment: Employees in Illinois government fear loss of job or ruination of career if they report incidents of sexual harassment. The editorial mentions that Illinois House Speaker Emanual “Chris” Welch is known for his preference to form Democrat-only working groups for resolving government issues. He has formed such a group with the aim of fixing this “broken system.”
The editorial notes that such a group should be made up of lawmakers from both parties, as well as include victims. I agree that both parties should participate. I feel that the majority of the victim participants should be women. Yes, sexual harassment can happen to members of both genders, but most women have been harassed at some point in their working careers. They have “walked a mile in (her) moccasins.”
Anyone who thinks that men fully understand should look into the interrogation that Anita Hill endured from an all-male group of U.S. senators. Such a grilling occurred because she had reported that Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her and she felt that he was not suitable to be a Supreme Court justice. These interrogators had not “walked a mile in (her) moccasins,” and the leader of the interrogation panel has since apologized to her.
— Megan Bedard, Round Lake Beach
Ethics reform here is unlikely
Ethics reform among Democrats? Never!
We will just wait a few weeks, and with some new diversions, reform will again be forgotten. The spirit of Bathhouse John Coughlin and Hinky Dink Michael Kenna lives.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is probably mumbling, “Illinois ain’t ready for reform.”
— Joseph A. Murzanski, Orland Park
Kennedy traffic still a killer
A “soul killer” is how I described the traffic situation on the Kennedy Expressway in a 2023 letter when the Kennedy resurfacing reduced flow and created painful commutes for so many North Siders. That work was finally completed, and things improved, for a minute.
Now here we are again, and the inbound expressway is worse than ever. Worse despite the fact that there is no work actually being done on the Kennedy. It’s all happening on Chicago streets such as Lake Street, Grand and Chicago avenues, and Halsted and Addison streets. It should be obvious to Chicago and Illinois Department of Transportation folks that all of these closures and detours at the same time are just a bad idea! Look at the travel times in from O’Hare International Airport — they are off the charts.
Beyond the normal frustration and inefficiency wrought by this poor planning, I wonder if state authorities have noticed the insane shoulder riding that is now happening? Or the number of drivers now staring at their phones to kill time in traffic?
Traffic like this is bad for the soul; it’s also dangerous.
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— David Hartney, Chicago
Advice for mayoral candidate
Regarding the op-ed “Chicago is a city with a failing heart” (Aug. 13) by mayoral candidate Lisa Nee: Every single reader can talk about the great things we need, just as Nee does. How to do it is another story. Also, crime is at historic lows, yet here Nee is, continuing the fearmongering about crime, despite historic lows.
The parroted talking points are annoying. Chicago’s population has risen three years in a row and was undercounted in 2020. If Nee wants to be mayor, do better.
— Brandon Wilson, Chicago
A sacred night for Sox fans
The recent “Pope Hat” night at Rate Field in Chicago was stuff out of a novel, not an MLB game in anywhere America. And this wasn’t anywhere America. It was the home of the Chicago White Sox, where generations of Sox fans have sat at the altar of a baseball diamond to root for their South Siders. On this special night, a nun threw out the first pitch, the fans donned pope hats and Sox home-run hitters paraded down the dugout in pope hats.
Most unexpected of all was the Sox announcer asking fans to share the sign of peace with each other, which is part of the Catholic Mass. It’s safe to say this unique moment never happened in professional sports of any sort.
This is the team that finished last in the American League Central division last year and is now in first place in the ALC. Whoa, could the pope’s access to the almighty have played a role in what’s happening at Rate Field this year? What else could account for such a turnaround in one season? No wonder they brought out the pope hats, the pitching nun and the sign of peace.
It’s a perfect moment to reflect on the role baseball plays in bringing communities together and distracting folks from their differences. In a nation deeply divided over its politics, we need all the help we can get in focusing on what we have in common and how to celebrate our similarities rather than our differences.
Whether it’s the Cubs at Wrigley or the Sox at Rate Field, it’s baseball that best travels a side road to record a nation’s people united in causes certainly not as critical to survival as our democratic government, but critical to sowing seeds of unity that Americans might just display after they leave the ballpark.
As for “Pope Hat” night, that would not have been possible if it weren’t for a kid from the South Side who demonstrated his love for humanity so intensely that he gave up an American way of life to serve the poor in South America. No greater gift could Pope Leo XIV have given us than the example of altruism he has set for all humankind and the message of peace and reconciliation that he offers all of us, even at a White Sox game.
Pope hats off to the pope from Chicago!
— Bob Kustra, former Illinois lieutenant governor, Boise, Idaho
Regulate e-bikes, e-scooters
I think it’s important to understand that e-bikes and e-scooters are not novelty toys; they are modes of transportation that all kinds of people use to get around for a wide array of purposes, including jobs and errands.
There should be regulations on their use and enforcement of those regulations (there is little of the former and virtually none of the latter in Illinois right now). But if we truly want to put public safety first to the extreme by banning a mode of transportation perceived as dangerous, banning cars should be on the table. If we don’t want to go that extreme, it would make sense to regulate e-bike and e-scooter use like we do with car use to prevent teenage death and injury.
— Ben Nagy, Chicago
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