Huppke ignores broken bones for single offensive word

Apparently, Trib columnist Rex Huppke is not familiar with the wise aphorism "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." If he is, he certainly didn't absorb the wisdom of the simple truth that name calling simply doesn't rise to the level of harm that actions which physically degrade and diminish the lives of their victims does. His Trib column "CTU president's ISIS comments are Trumpian in their absurdity" spends hundreds of words agonizing over CTU President Karen Lewis' claim in a City Club of Chicago speech that Governor Bruce Rauner is "the new ISIS recruit". While I've blogged that Lewis' comments were a bit 'over the line', the fact remains Lewis is correct in calling Rauner's budgetary harm, reducing state funding for the needy to extort non-budgetary agenda items from the legislature, "acts of terror on poor and working-class people." Huppke, like the other normally clear thinking, progressive pundits bashing Lewis over her 'ISIS' comment, is immune to the real pain and suffering the needy experience at the hands of arguably the most insensitive and heartless governor in Illinois history. As a result, his sole criticism of Rauner's inhumane and outrageous treatment of struggling students, on the precipice state vendors, as well as the marginal needy, is that "I'm no fan of how Rauner is running the state." If affluent, comfortable and white privileged Huppke was one of the folks being damaged by Rauner's ruinous rule, he'd have no problem whatsoever with linking Rauner to ISIS terrorists, however hyperbolic that charge is. Comparing Karen Lewis to The Donald is totally inappropriate. The Donald now admits his neo-fascist rhetoric was just 'entertainment' to energize his base, a dastardly and cynical ploy which he'll now temper as the likely GOP nominee. Karen Lewis is engaged in an unfair struggle against a man and a system which cares nothing about the people it destroys. Focusing on a single word, utterly insignificant to the victims she represents, is pointless.

If Huppke was really interested in serving the Illinois public, he'd be urging his readers to rise up in mass civil disobedience against the debasement of powerless Illinoisans by the oligarchical near billionaire Rauner, who bought the governorship to enrich his rich base.