The odd link between the Congress Expressway and Glen Ellyn tennis

The odd link between the Congress Expressway and Glen Ellyn tennis

The Sun Times article commemorating the 75th anniversary of Chicago’s expressway era ‘How Chicago’s expressways were born — and furthered segregation’ has a connection to my Glen Ellyn recreational activities.

From April thru October, I play tennis on the clay courts at Lake Ellyn Park in Glen Ellyn. Some years back the longest playing member of our tennis crew told me we were pounding our feet on the clay and other detritus taken from the mammoth 12 year construction project that displaced 13,000 Chicagoans and 400 businesses.

How could that be, I inquired. He advised one of the contractors was a tennis buff who lived in or near Glen Ellyn. He arranged with the Park District to convert the hard surface courts into clay with tons of clay, stones and dirt from the Big Dig along Congress Street.

The article mentioned that little effort was made to document where all those 13,000 homesteads and 400 businesses relocated. But I do know where some of the subsurface went. And every time I step onto the century old tennis courts at Lake Ellyn, I imagine I’m playing tennis on the Congress Expressway.

Trib needs reality check on Russo Ukraine war

 Trib needs reality check on Russo Ukraine war

For the past 2 years now the Chicago Tribune has been misrepresenting both the nature and status of the Russo Ukraine war.

 

Its latest update in today’s editorial ‘Time for responsible GOP voices to step up and back Ukraine’ doubles down on both misrepresented aspects of the war.

 

Regarding its nature, the Trib continues spreading the false US narrative that Vladimir Putin’s reason for invading was to recreate the Soviet Union, starting with Ukraine. “Putin has made no secret of his ambitions to stitch something resembling the old USSR back together. Ukraine is by far the biggest prize in that quest. Stopping this ambition in its tracks is critical to future peace in the region.”

 

We know this is false. Putin spent 8 years prior to his invasion proclaiming and seeking US assurances NATO would not expand up to Russia’s border with Ukraine. While it may be easy to dismiss Putin’s words and actions prior to the invasion, it’s impossible to dismiss the words of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky himself.

 

Prior to the war Stoltenberg stated that “Russia’s NATO security demands were a precondition for not invading Ukraine.” He further stated after the invasion, “Putin went to war to prevent NATO from getting closer to Russia.”

 

On March 27, 2022, 5 weeks into the war, Ukraine President Zelensky admitted to an interviewer that Ukraine’s promise not to join NATO was “the first fundamental point for the Russian Federation not to invade.” He further stated “As far as I know, they started the war because of this.”

 

Regarding the status of the war, the Trib remains in total denial that after nearly 400,000 dead soldiers, Ukraine cannot prevail regardless if the GOP approves another $61 billion, on top of the previous $113 billion. All previous aid simply finds the Ukraine military close to collapse. To state “The two sides are now in something of a stalemate” is preposterous as Ukraine has essentially run out of new cannon fodder to forestall the advance of endless Russian soldiers.

 

Politics aside, the peace community supports any all efforts of many Republicans and a few courageous Democrats to derail squandering $61 billion more in weapons and other aid to maintain a war that will only end with a negotiated settlement.

 

So should the Chicago Tribune.

The boxing match that cured me of following boxing

The boxing match that cured me of following boxing

Got our first TV in ’51 when I was 6. A sports fan, I watched the White Sox and the only other major televised sport, boxing. Most Friday nights watched boxing matches sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. That year I witnessed sadly as Joe Louis got hammered in the first round by a much younger Rocky Marciano. It was the last of the Brown Bomber’s 123 amateur and pro bouts.

On March 24, 1962, I watched my last boxing match. Benny ‘The Kid’ Paret was defending his welterweight crown against Emile Griffiths. Tho not reported beforehand, the 2 almost started fighting at the weigh-in. Paret touched Griffith’s butt and called him a maricon (faggot) alluding to Griffith’s rumored homosexuality.

Big mistake, as Griffith got fired up to avenge, at the time, the worst possible insult. In Round 12 Griffith pinned Paret up against the ropes and pounded him into a coma from which he never woke up. I watched him die standing up. His demise began a death knell for boxing as a premier US sport and rightly so, tho it's still around in the cultural shadows. It also ended my fascination with 2 men trying to kill each other for money and fan enjoyment. Seeing one such death in real time was enough for me.

 I’d largely suppressed my memory of that fight 62 years ago. It bubbled up from my subconscious recently upon hearing of the Chicago Lyric Opera production of ‘Champion’, a jazz opera of Griffith's tortured life. He fought for 15 years after the Paret fight, but his KO’s and wins went way down. He admitted pulling his his punches to avoid killing another fighter. Griffith won 3 different weight titles. But he’d likely have traded them all for Paret surviving his pugilistic blows.

Bombs Away Biden strikes again

 Bombs Away Biden strikes again

Awhile back, President Biden, responding to over 150 attacks on US troops defiling Iraq and Syria, advised he’d start bombing if any soldier was killed. Didn’t take long as within a few days three were blown up in Jordan near the Syrian border.

On Friday, Biden dropped over a hundred bombs on Shi’ite militias in Iraq and Syria. Next day he launched his 12th bombing run on Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for the Houthi blockade of Red Sea shipping in support of Palestinians being ethnically destroyed by Israel in Gaza.

When not blasting away with bombs fired by US planes and drones, Biden is sending tens of thousands of bombs to Ukraine and Israel to fuel America’s failed proxy war on Russia in Ukraine, and assist Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of 2,300,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

None of Biden’s bombs will stop Shi’ite groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen from continuing their attacks on US forces stationed in counties that want them out. Saudi Arabia pounded Yemen with over 70,000 bombs between 2015 and 2022, but made no dent in Houthi resistance to the Saudis’ failed war with the Yemen Houthis.

It is near inevitable more US troops will die from sporadic Shi’ite attacks. It was also possible Biden’s senseless, futile bombing will trigger a regional war endangering all 45,400 US soldiers hunkered down in 10 Middle East countries.

Bombs Away Biden is demanding Congress grant him $61 billion more in WCD (Weapons of Civilian Destruction) to maintain his lost proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. He now wants another $14 billion in WCD for Israel to complete their destruction of Gaza.

America is inexorably being pushed out of the Middle East. It cannot come too soon. But Bombs Away Biden will likely keep blasting away with bombs galore till his last day in the White House.