Good grief...it's Loyalty Oath time

Every 2 years when I fill out my Statement of Candidacy to run for Precinct Committee-person, I'm reminded of the 1950's Red Scare and Senator Joe McCarthy. Why? at the bottom of the statement is the noxious Loyalty Oath which asks me to certify I'm not a commie or member of any organization advocating overthrow of the government by force; nor do I advocate or teach the violent overthrow of the government. Most candidates likely sign this oath even tho 'Optional' appears in parenthesis after the Loyalty Oath title. That is a mistake. It is an odious remnant of the McCarthy era when many thousands had their lives ruined by governmental interference with free speech. The Illinois oath has been on the books since 1955 but made optional in the early 70's from court decisions declaring them unconstitutional; an infringement of our precious free speech.

There are truly urgent problems that require the attention of our state legislators. But they should all take a few minutes next session and strike the ghost of Joe McCarthy from Illinois' candidacy statements. And those of you running for office? Ignore this relic of our shameful past.

Political recognition of non-theists granted after 243 years

It took 243 years but a US political party finally recognized the tens of millions of us non-theists who have endured discrimination, ostracism, ridicule and worse since our founding in 1776. The DNC issued a resolution at their summer meeting proclaiming non-theists contribute significantly to improving society, and as a group need to be heard and valued as much as any other group. A little patronizing maybe but greatly appreciated none the less. 

Amazingly, the seven states of Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas still contain language in their constitutions prohibiting people who do not believe in God from holding office. Such laws were declared unconstitutional in 1961 but the legislatures haven't seen fit to erase their repulsive religious test to hold office. Kudos to the Dems for finally doing the right (progressive) thing on this issue. Let's hope it won't take another 243 years for the GOP to follow suit. 

Yummy Sandifer not well served by Trib editorial

The Trib's Aug. 23 editorial 'Yummy Sandifer and Chicago: The grisly cost of losing one child' was touching, relevant and cried out for a solution to Chicago's gun violence. The Trib even touched on the two main drivers of catastrophic carnage on Chicago's South and West Sides: availability of guns and extreme hopelessness. But it skirted lightly on both issues, minimizing the urgency of meaningfully addressing them with the bland statement "Then as now, the gunplay most savaged poor and minority families consigned to neighborhoods short of good schools, good jobs, good services for those living on the margins". As poor as that description of the problem is, the Trib's cure offers even less value. "One homage we can pay to these thousands of young people is to keep looking for some way out of metropolitan Chicago’s chronic violence. The more children all of us can mentor, the more kids we can welcome into reliable foster care, the more resources we can donate to those who work with youngsters on the edge. ... The more of all that, the better."

That's it...just mentor those kids at risk, expand foster care and donate resources to the social workers helping them. Without massive local, state and federal investment to bring these areas into America's expanding economy; and without meaningful reduction in the weapons of civilian slaughter, nothing will reduce the fifty shot every week, ten of which die. On those two issues the Trib is still AWOL That doesn't serve the memory of Yummy Sandifer and the 60,000 Chicagoans shot since his death 25 years ago.

One cheer for Syrian civil war victory

We should all offer measured support for Syrian President Assad's apparent victory over rebel forces. With Russian and Iranian help, Assad has pushed the rebels into their last enclave in northwest Idlib, Syria. Eight years of civil war have left a half million dead, 4 million refugees and 11 million displaced overall in the most war torn nation on earth (Yemen a close second).  Tragically, America is responsible for much of the blood and displacement from its 2013 involvement to prevent an Assad victory over rebel forces that included major Sunni jihadist groups seeking to spread Islamic State in Syria. President Obama and his war loving Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intervened on the double pretext of disposing the hated Assad while eliminating jihadist inroads. 

We claimed we could vet the rebels, only aiding the good ones; but wound up mainly supplying jihadist fighters, causing the Russians and Iranians to turn the tide in Assad's favor. Knocking off Assad to weaken Iran's influence in the region has always been our number one goal. We pay lip service to fighting Sunni jihadists, but are dead serious in complying with Saudi, Gulf States and Israeli demands we take out Iran, with the road to Tehran running straight through Damascus. The current lull in fighting could have been achieved back in 2013 had the US not foolishly upended Assad's apparent victory to achieve lusted for Iranian regime change. The US blames the entire Syrian catastrophe on Assad. Six years of US meddling should not be ignored or condoned. Once again America intervenes...and once again America, and the world, loses.