An Apology to Robert S Bader

To Mr. Bader,

At the end of 2024 (and I mean the 31st, it was the very last book I finished last year), I read and ranted to several people about your book Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother. According to me, it was clear that many people, including yourself, were quick to forgive Zeppo for all the absolutely horrible things he did. Now, you fully admit that Zeppo is your favorite Marx Brother, and I'll be honest, mine is the one who comes across as your least favorite, Chico. You can see that I was going to take some umbrage with your book from the start. However, the book was informative, it was very well written, and it was a wonderful biography of an unknown individual. My biggest complaint, and one that I railed against in my review and to others, was that you seemed so biased towards Zeppo. 

Now, make no mistake, Zeppo is still reprehensible to me. Chico was a compulsive liar, gambler, and womanizer, and Zeppo makes him look like a schoolboy who merely cheated on a test. Except I owe you an apology. I'm working on my own biography now, of a well-known gangster from Chicago in the 1920's, and according to newspaper reports and very exaggerated and fictionalized accounts from the era, he was a nasty person. Through my research, I have managed to find how inaccurate a lot of what is said actually is (in all honesty, Zeppo still makes this guy look like a saint. I really don't like Herbert Marx).

Anyway, this past year, I read History Matters, a collection of interviews, essays, and speeches done by David McCullough. In it, he talks about how he has never written a biography or been able to write about someone he wasn't able to develop a fondness for; he could never write about someone he disliked or write about someone without developing a fondness for. Mr McCullough was right (granted, I've never tried to write about someone truly evil like Hitler or a serial killer, so maybe he's not, because I definitely couldn't develop a fondness for them). To research someone, get to know them on a level to be able to write a book about them, you start to see them more as a friend, especially since you are spending a lot of time with them, so to speak. I could never write a biography about Johnny Torrio or Thomas Dewey. Two people from my same niche of history that I have an absolute disdain for and, in Torrio's case, a loathing for. But I have developed a fondness, more than I already had, for the current subject, and that's where this apology comes from.

It's weirdly parallel to you with Zeppo and Chico in a way. Earl Weiss, known as the only man Al Capone ever feared, was, according to reputation and history, a crazy, cold-blooded killer. Research hasn't backed this at all, but it did manage to hide his older brother, Fred. I can't stand Fred. Legend has it that after a simple 'joke' about Earl not being able to serve in WWI due to his heart problems (I say joke but mocking someone for a disability that they can't help and is causing them immense pain as well as stopped them from doing what many considered the only honorable thing at the time, serving in the military in WWI, is cruel), and Earl snapped, whipped out a gun and shot him in the chest. It's not this cut and dry, obviously. In fact, the argument seems to have been over more than a joke, and there are way too many extenuating circumstances after the fact for it to have been the main trigger (no pun intended) to Earl's temper. 

As you probably tell just from that paragraph alone, I am exceptionally biased towards Earl. Fred is...awful. But history remembered things differently, and as I am attempting now to write the chapter explaining, not just what happened, but my findings on it and giving enough background to help readers understand why Fred isn't the saint the Chicago Tribune made him out to be, I am having an exceptionally difficult time keeping my personal bias from slipping into the story. 

So, Mr. Bader, I am so sorry, not just for complaining about your bias towards Zeppo, but for not recognizing how hard you must have worked to keep it from showing as much as it did. I can't imagine what you have uncovered about Chico that you haven't told us (and part of me thinks I don't want to know), and how much you would like to scream it from the rooftops at people who say you are biased towards Zeppo. I am so sorry. You did an incredible job with your book and telling the facts. Personal feelings will always show through, and you managed to convey yours in a way that stayed true to the story without hiding the truth and not ranting about the unjustness of it all. For not realizing it last year and for complaining about it at all, I offer my sincere apologies. You did a fantastic job of not letting too much of your personal opinions slip through. For that, you should have been applauded, not scolded, for the few that did. 

Best Wishes, 

Erin

Not Surprised...just really angry.

  I think what is angering me the most, outside of you know…all the stuff that Trump has done in the last year, is that I’m not even surprised. That’s what this has come to…it’s not surprising. It’s alarming, it’s terrible, it should absolutely not be happening, but it’s not as if I can’t believe it’s happening. Not after everything that’s been going on.     

     This isn’t a Nevertheless. It’s not about my writing. Honestly, it’s not even about politics. It’s about being pissed off and completely and totally fed up with this crap.  ICE is still in Chicago, even though they are supposed to be leaving, but thank the higher power that the judges have finally started regulating that, I suppose. They are still a hate group. And just to let you all know, one was arrested in Minnesota in a sting operation to catch pedophiles. When he was arrested, he told them, “But, I’m with ICE.” Okay, so you are a bigot, a pedophile, and I hope you rot in hell for eternity. There’s really nothing else to say to you. ICE is also now in Charlotte, North Carolina, where kids are afraid to go to school, which, by the way, the Department of Education is also being dismantled. But we don’t seem to be able to notice that because of all the other crap that is going on. 

    The Epstein files are finally going to be released…hopefully. And no, those are not a hoax. Those are not made up. To call them such is an insult to the victims who have already suffered so much. And in those 20k pages, there are several things that stick out, things that need to be addressed, but I’m going to ask one question. Just one. Epstein was the scum of the earth. He was evil. What he did to people, children, young girls, women, what he did was absolutely abhorrent, and as far as I am concerned, there is no punishment great enough for him in the afterlife. He hated Donald Trump. It’s obvious from the emails and the way he talks about him. Now, how awful do you have to be for someone that awful to hate you? Not just hate you, but call you evil and murderous? Think about that for a second. Let it sink in. Epstein…a terrible person. He thought Trump was evil. That should tell you all you need to know. But clearly, it does not. Not for some people, apparently. Or they just have no empathy and compassion for the victims of Trump and Epstein. And yeah, I said Trump, too. He’s a convicted rapist. He was involved with Epstein. There’s no way he didn’t have a hand in all that. If you truly believe he wasn’t involved, clearly you aren’t paying attention.

Then, there is the whole “Quiet Quiet Piggy.” Bro, as a woman, I just want to say ‘fuck all the way off.’ And then I want to draw attention to the fact that this was a moment that, from what I have seen on social media, triggered so many women. Because it’s the moment he went from just a regular asshole to the abusive asshole we all know he really is, but he actually let it be seen. And because a woman asked him a question, he didn’t like it. This wasn’t condensation towards a female journalist; this was an actual attack on someone because he wanted to put her in what he believes is her place. God forbid anyone ask him an uncomfortable question, and a woman at that. Except, women are those pushing back against him. After this incident, Mary Bruce, a reporter for ABC News, asked a question at the White House that he didn’t like, and he called her network “Fake News. One of the worst.” Are you ready to hear the question he didn’t like, while he was sitting next to his good friend, Mohammed bin Salman (more on that wtf-ism in a moment), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia? 

“Is it appropriate, Mr. President, for your family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while you’re president? Is that a conflict of interest? And, your royal highness, the US intelligence community) concluded you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist. 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you? And the same to you, Mr. President.”

Trump didn’t let her finish; he tried to talk over her, but Mary Bruce, like the amazing woman and reporter she is, finished her question before answering where she worked. Trump then threatened ABC’s broadcasting license…again. For actual reporting. Because someone was brave enough to stand up to him. Also, he said, 

“You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate, and just a terrible question. And you could even ask that same question nicely.”

Okay, now, let’s back the fuck up here (today’s blog is full of swearing, but I am livid). He just said she should have asked the question “nicely.” The hell does he want? A Please? No! Absolutely not. Because this man, whom Donald Trump went on to defend, is Salman. From NPR:

"You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial," Trump said, referring to Khashoggi. "A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.”

It doesn’t matter how controversial Khashoggi was. What matters is that he was murdered by the Saudi government in 2018. The operation was greenlit, according to the CIA, by Trump’s new bestie, the crown prince. You know the same guy and government who was also a supporter of the terrorists who crashed planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon on 9/11. Oh, and I forgot to mention, Trump just sold them war planes. Because he’s a fucking idiot, and most of those MAGAs who are still one hundred percent behind him were singing God Bless America the loudest. 

  

  And don’t get me wrong. I’m not a fan of George W. Bush or the War on Terrorism or any of that. My emo phase started with Green Day’s American Idiot, and you can pretty much track my journey to what is now termed “Antifa” or whatever, from there. But I watched those towers fall. And I’m only thirty-five. This isn’t like it was Pearl Harbor. It happened 25 years ago next year. Don’t be bitching about New York electing their new mayor, who had nothing to do with the attacks or the terrorists who supported them, who is a genuinely good person, and then turn around and say this is okay. Because you can’t.

    If all this wasn’t bad enough, on his stupid ass Truth Social, which has zero truth, by the way, he’s calling for the death of his political opponents. Why is this okay? Why was he not impeached TODAY? Why was he not removed from office today? We can’t keep following the proper procedure and protocol with this. Trump is dangerous. It’s only a matter of time before he gets someone killed. 

    I can’t…I walked away for an hour from writing this to try to calm myself down and see if I could do it without swearing, but no. Fucking hell, this is insane. I’m not surprised it’s happening, and that in itself is a problem. If you aren’t upset, that is a problem. Letting this continue is a problem. And I’m sick of waking up every morning worrying about what the hell the idiot has done now. That’s it. That’s the blog. I don’t even want to type up a conclusion because I’ve said everything I need to say. The rest is up to you to take away from this rant whatever you want. Hopefully, it’s a desire to see less of this awful mess, but I can’t tell you what to think.

Sources:

Bauder, David. “Trump Attacks ABC Reporter in Response to Khashoggi Question.” AP News, 18 Nov. 2025, apnews.com/article/media-trump-saudi-arabia-epstein-khashoggi-mbs-6cb0300433689c914250e475c4ae8483.

Grynbaum, Michael M. “Trump Berates Mary Bruce of ABC News after Question about Jamal Khashoggi.” The New York Times, 18 Nov. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/business/media/trump-reporter-khashoggi-saudis.html.

Myre, Greg, et al. “U.S. Intelligence: Saudi Crown Prince Approved Operation to Kill Jamal Khashoggi.” NPR.org, 26 Feb. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/02/25/971215788/biden-administration-poised-to-release-report-on-killing-of-jamal-khashoggi.

“Trump Defends Saudi Crown Prince over Question about Killing of Khashoggi.” NPR, 18 Nov. 2025, www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5612504/trump-saudi-arabia-mbs-khashoggi.

Ending My Relationship with the Goodreads Reading Challenge

 It is November…and I’m probably not going to finish my Goodreads goal. A goal that I had already changed once from its normal 100 to 80. And I have to keep reminding myself that that’s okay. It’s not that I couldn’t finish it if I really wanted to, because all it would take is finding a new Manga series that I get hooked on, but I’m going to be honest with you, nothing’s really peaking my interest in that department right now. In a sense, the reading challenge isn’t a challenge anymore. Not for someone who enjoys reading. It’s become another example for me of how everything has to be a competition or a sport. We are always comparing ourselves to each other or trying to achieve some pinnacle of something in our own minds, and it sucks the joy out of everything.  

I’m writing this on election day, which is a weird thing to think about. The entire country is in turmoil, and I’m talking about a reading challenge, but they aren’t completely separate. Let me start this by saying that I am, by nature, an extremely competitive person. Like, to the point where I won’t try certain things if I know I’ll lose. It serves me well in some areas. When I did NaNoWriMo to write Welcome to Chicago, it worked out great. There were benchmarks to make, and like hell was I going to miss one. It’s also going to get me a speeding ticket one of these days as I attempt to beat the time that the GPS originally set for reaching my destination (I will shave off those last five minutes, darn it). But in other ways, in a lot of ways, it’s detrimental not just to me but to everyone around me. I’m unhappy because I’m not meeting some invisible goal line that either I set for myself or someone that I have compared myself to hit, whether it be at the gym or on social media, in parenting, writing, reading, whatever, if I am feel like I am doing a terrible job from I am comparing myself to others I’m going to be a grouch. 

Politics has become another competition for most of the country, it’s treated like a sport. Just pulling up my Google news brings up, “Can Democrats mount a comeback? Look to Tuesday’s elections for clues.” (Politico), or “How each party wins Tuesday’s elections” (The Hill). And it’s not just the news doing it, this is coming from the government itself as well, which I guess is what happens when the president can’t differentiate his reality show past from the fact that he has actual people’s lives in his hands. From another Politico headline today, it’s clear that it’s all about him winning and losing and not at all what’s best for the people that he is hurting with his horrid decisions: “Trump urges Republicans to kill filibuster, warning they’ll lose if they don’t.” 

When a Hiroshima survivor is in Chicago, reminding us that nuclear bombs are bad, because apparently we don’t remember when our forbearers wreaked havoc on Japan with two nuclear bombs in a war that they had already pretty much won, we need to stop and ask ourselves, when did this get so out of hand? And why is winning and losing so much more important to the people in charge (on both sides, though really, when the choice is lose your healthcare or lose food…well, the side that has the power to give people food and healthcare needs to step the hell up). Which brings me back to my point about the Goodreads reading challenge. 

This year, I focused more on learning and growing, and reading books that I enjoyed and spending time with them to relax, because the world is a damn mess. I went from reading 303 books in 2023 to maybe eighty at the end of this year. And that’s okay, because I’m also trying to make the world a better place. I’m working to teach my son not just his second grade curriculum, but right from wrong, how to treat others, because that’s not something we stop doing when they’re four. It’s a lifelong journey and reading, as long as we don’t suck the fun out of it like we do everything else, can help with that. Life shouldn't be a competition, life should be fun and making the world better for everyone, so everyone can have food and healthcare, regardless of what political party is in power, because we’ve been here before, a little under a hundred years ago actually, we need to stop thinking about who is the best and thinking about how we can provide the best help to those who have less than us. 

Nevertheless...Shirley Jackson

 It’s October! And I couldn’t let October go without talking about the Mistress of Psychological Horror, the woman who persisted in the face of her mother ridiculing her via letters and her husband being well…awful. A woman who wasn’t perfect and was aware of it, but who used that to weave magic into the stories of her everyday life, the unrepeatable, the unmistakable, Shirley Jackson. 

Shirley Jackson was born in California in 1916. Don’t let her autobiographical details fool you, she hated talking about herself: 

“I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material, can only give bare chronological outline which contains no pertinent facts.” 

As an example, she regularly gave her birth year as 1919, making herself three years younger to fit with her husband, Stanley Hyman, who was actually born that year. Shirley wasn’t quite what her mother expected: unconventional, preferring to write rather than socialize and fit in with her peers. She and her mother had a contentious relationship, with her mother criticizing her love of writing and her appearance, including her weight, which would be a persistent issue for Shirley throughout her life. Shirley’s younger brother, the traditional son of a well to do family that fit their mother and father’s standards better, once said, according to Ruth Franklin in her biography, “A Rather Haunted Life,” 

“[Geraldine—their mother] was just a deeply conventional woman who was horrified by the idea that her daughter was not going to be deeply conventional.” 

And ‘not going to be deeply conventional’ was an understatement. But their mother was not going to give up easily. The family moved east during Shirley’s senior year of high school, and she graduated in 1934. Her parents insisted on sending her to a college close to home, The University of Rochester, to keep an eye on her. But Shirley transferred after taking a year off due to depression, and at Syracuse University, she started to become the woman who would write some of the most bone chilling horror stories of her time. Some that still will make your skin crawl today. She had friends, she wrote for the school literary magazine, and received a bachelor’s in journalism. One of the people she met while working on the paper would go on to become her husband and the father of her four children, Stanley Hyman. 

Shirley and Stanley would go on to marry and eventually move to North Bennington, Vermont. Stanley was a teacher at Bennington College, a college exclusively for women. When they moved to Vermont, according to Shirley’s memoir, they had their three year old son Laurence, or “Laurie” as he was called, born in 1942, and a newborn daughter, Joanne, aka Jannie. In Vermont, their family expanded, and they welcomed Sarah, whom they called Sally, and Barry. 

In 1948, she published her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, and while it is not her strongest work, reading the story of a mysterious death troubling a town as they find that the highway is going to go through the wall around their town is a surreal experience. There is just something unsettling that, after you finish it, leaves you feeling like you saw something you shouldn’t have. 1948 was the year of unsettling stories for Shirley, because she also published the short story, which made her famous, The Lottery, about a small town that once a year stones someone to death. The Lottery was what put her on the map, and she became the primary income for her household, though according to all accounts, Stanley still controlled the purse strings. 

Shirley went on to write Hangman, The Bird’s Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in a Castle, all horror stories, and each was better than the next. Many consider We Have Always Lived in a Castle her best work. She also wrote for a women’s magazine, routinely publishing stories about her home life that eventually became two books, Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons. She called them a ‘disrespectful memoir of [her] children.” They added another layer to her fame, and through them, she was put into the public eye even more. 

Raising Demons, written and published in 1957, landed her a magazine spread, which, unfortunately, reached her mother in California. Her mother proceeded to belittle Shirley about her appearance and pointed out that millions of people had seen the same thing. Shirley replied with a sharply worded letter standing up for and defending herself, but her mother’s words had struck their mark, and Shirley became incredibly self-conscious. This was not helped by the fact that Stanley was cheating on her regularly (often with students and friends) and had, according to rumors, coerced her into an open marriage. 

Hill House, released in 1959, preceded a struggle for Shirley, both mental and physical. Having struggled with anxiety for most of her adult life and suffering from a heart problem, she developed agoraphobia. After We Have Always Lived in a Castle, she was plagued by writer's block as well. With the support of her family, she began therapy, which worked well for her, and her agent gave her the task of sitting down every day and writing whatever came to mind. For a while, it acted as a journal or diary experience for her, but eventually she began working on a new novel, Come Away With Me. Unfortunately, she died in her sleep at the age of 48 before she could finish it. 

Shirley, while remembered for being one of the masters of her genre, was also an incredibly strong woman. She dealt with her husband’s infidelity and her mother’s degrading remarks to write her novels, raise a family, and live her life as best she could. In a world where the outside can seem terrifying and the weight of the world can crush us, think of Shirley Jackson, described by her oldest son in the following quote:

“She was always writing, or thinking about writing, and she did all the shopping and cooking, too. The meals were always on time. But she also loved to laugh and tell jokes. She was very buoyant that way.” 

Sources

Cooke, Rachel. “Laurence Jackson Hyman on His Mother Shirley: “Her Work Is so Relevant Now….”” The Guardian, The Guardian, 12 Dec. 2016, theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/12/laurence-jackson-hyman-mother-shirley-jackson-dark-tales. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Franklin, Ruth. Shirley Jackson : A Rather Haunted Life. New York Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2017.

Jackson, Shirley. Life among the Savages. Penguin Books, 2019.

---. Raising Demons. S.L., Penguin Books, 2021.

---. The Letters of Shirley Jackson. New York, Random House, 2021.

School boards, opinions and guys named Chad

My roommate during my sophomore and junior years of college once told me that she didn’t believe you could appreciate the rest of the world if you look at what was going on in your own backyard. She was correct, of course. She was definitely the level headed one of us, and often said things like this, that I knew she had been thinking about for a long time before giving them a voice. This is one of those things she said that stuck with me over the years and for good reason. 

I’m lucky enough to live in a blue state, and my city also voted blue during the 2024 election. I am fortunate enough to live now in a more open-minded community where the majority believe in equal rights and also listening to other people’s opinions rather than telling them they are wrong and these are the reasons and acting as if their opinion is the law. And I deeply appreciate that. I also appreciate that I received a brilliant education (for the most part), even though I lived in what is technically considered a village and my graduating class had one hundred students in it. However, the drama unfolding on the school board in McLean County is absolutely laughable, as someone from a small town. For context, all but two towns in McLean County are small towns. (Bloomington and Normal are the only two cities in the county and the only two towns with a population above five thousand: Bloomington has a population of 79,232, and Normal has 53,304. The next biggest township is Randolph, with a population of 4,269 as of 2024.) I was technically in a different district, but it’s interesting to see how different things are now that it’s the other sides opinion being challenged.

I grew up in a town that, by most standards, is tiny. It’s technically a village. Fiction novels, at least contemporary fiction novels, and Hallmark like to paint small towns as these adorable, quaint, loving communities where everyone looks out for each other. If you play by their rules, sure, that’s probably accurate. But if you don’t march to the tune of the high school band (even if you are in the band—I can’t march in step to save my life), you’re probably going to be alone and depressed. A lot. And you’re definitely not going to enjoy the class that my high school offered called “Consumer Education.” And while it did teach us how to balance a checkbook and fill out a resume, the rest of it was one big lecture on why Republicans and white men were definitely the best and the rest of the world was wrong. I didn’t put my hand on my heart during the Pledge of Allegiance and rarely said it, which earned me the side eye, but for the girl next to me, who refused to stand for it, she was grilled about her beliefs in front of the class. I wish I had had that confidence in my beliefs that she had back then. Today I wouldn’t hesitate, but eighteen years ago, I just was content to sit in the back of the room and completely tune them out. On a couple of occasions, I did voice my opinion and tell them they were wrong. But to say they shoved their beliefs down our throat was an understatement.

Two male teachers would take turns discussing why Hilary Clinton was a terrible person. Why the left was out to destroy America, and we were all communists. Why Barack Obama should not be president. I even remember them mocking climate change (that and the time they said women were too emotional to be in office were times I remember speaking up, they were just too obnoxious to block out on those days). Participation was part of your grade, so I had a C in the class because I only answered questions that had a factual answer, and they couldn’t twist it into a lecture. My notebook was full of doodles, and after school, I would go home, grab my iPod, and walk for miles listening to Green Day’s American Idiot, or The Clash, or Anti-Flag. 

We all complained, those of us who weren’t rednecks. But no one ever did anything. We just needed to learn about other people’s opinions, seemed to be the resounding mantra. If you were on a scholastic team, it was even worse since one of the teachers was the coach, and out of the classroom, he became even more sexist and racist. But again, since the guys on the team agreed with him, there wasn’t much that we could do since no one would back us up. Just deal with it, was what other teachers said, the ones that weren’t dealing with the bullying from the rednecks because they accused the beloved quarterback of plagiarism (god forbid he be held accountable for his actions…the sarcasm ought to be dripping from the screen now). And so we did. We put up with it until we graduated, which, since this was a senior class, was not too long, thank goodness. But I really wish someone had held these teachers accountable for pushing a far-right agenda on us. It did teach me that other people have opinions and how to ignore them if they are being waved in my face…so that’s nice, I guess…

Or it was. Until I saw some headlines and statements that teachers in Normal and members of the county school board are being called on to resign or be fired because the teacher was wearing an Abolish ICE shirt, and the president of the school board referred to MAGA as a cult. If you’ve been paying attention, you can probably imagine that I agree with both of these people, but that’s not my issue here. My issue is that because the views of the people involved are not supportive of the current administration, parents want these people removed from schools or offices. I’ve read quotes that politics has no place in schools and that teachers shouldn’t be telling their students their opinions. And, yes. A resounding yes. I agree with that. But at the same time, it’s only an issue for these people now because it’s not their opinion being supported in the classroom. But…what did the students have to say? Well, guess what! They supported the teacher!

One student said, “By wearing that shirt, he is sending a message to his students that regardless of immigration status, you are a cherished member of our community and our schools, and we all belong here,” she said. “…I’d strongly recommend those who support the proposed firing of Mr. Chapman reconsider the message they’re sending by doing so. There’s a teacher shortage already. Why fire one who clearly cares about supporting his students and our community?” And this isn’t even a student who has his class. 

A navy officer weighed in as well, “I know Matt to be a role model, an advocate for every player we coach. Except for the occasional referee, I have observed Matt to be one of the kindest and compassionate people I know. He genuinely cares about every player and student.” 

So, what does the other side have to say? Well, at the meeting, a man (I am not making this up) named Chad Berck, represented the McLean County Republican Party…look, we already know this isn’t going to be great, so let’s get his quote out of the way:

“The McLean County Republicans strongly condemn the continuing pattern of political indoctrination, bias, and disrespect for parental values within the Unit 5 school district. Our schools exist to educate, not to propagandize, and yet we continue to see examples of left-wing ideology being encouraged, facilitated, or tolerated at every level of the district’s leadership.”

Let’s be clear. I don’t have a problem with political opinions not being allowed in schools, but these are the same people who want prayer in schools and would have no problem with their own opinions being talked about. And this is all over a t-shirt. So, what about the president of the board? Well, not surprisingly, he mentioned Charlie Kirk in a less-than-flattering light and also called MAGA a cult and ‘deplorable.’ So, what did Chad have to say about this? 

“Equally alarming is the conduct of the Unit 5 school board president, who has repeatedly shown disdain for conservative parents and community members. Labeling them MAGA cultists and deplorable. Such language is unbecoming of any elected official, particularly one charged with representing all the families, regardless of their political beliefs.”

Now, yes, calling people names for their political beliefs is abhorrent…especially in an elected position. But until the Mclean County Republicans decide to show that same ire towards their fearless leader, Donald Trump, I would recommend taking a seat. Because you can’t possibly expect others to continue being bullied and not stand up for themselves. Oh…wait…but if we try, you get upset and ask to be removed from the office. Too bad we can’t do that to you. It’d be one thing if no one supported Alex Williams, the school board president. But I’m going to leave the blog with this quote from a parent at the meeting, Jade Lamar, because I think it sums it all up quite nicely:

“My objective today is to provide encouragement and support. Do not flinch at all at what is being stated by those who support all the ‘isms and the hypocrisy that is clear as day. It takes leadership courage to say things that make others uncomfortable, and the time is now to push. Silence is what leads to conformity of oppression.”

Sources

“Election Night Reporting.” Clarityelections.com, 2025, results.enr.clarityelections.com/IL/Bloomington/122759/web.345435/#/summary. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

Howell, Ben. “Students, Community Members Largely Defend Teacher at Unit 5 Meeting over “Abolish ICE” Shirt.” WGLT, 16 Oct. 2025, www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-10-16/students-community-members-largely-defend-teacher-at-unit-5-meeting-over-abolish-ice-shift. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

“McLean County, Illinois Cities (2024).” Worldpopulationreview.com, 2024, worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/illinois/mclean-county.

What is Going On?

 Seriously. What is going on in the United States right now? I don’t understand how the judge needs two hours to deliberate after a three hour hearing on whether the National Guard should have been deployed to Illinois. It’s pretty cut and dry, especially if you want to believe that they are there to protect ICE. Because, no. They aren’t. At all. ICE has been the problem. ICE killed a man because they didn’t let go of his car. ICE said, “Do something, b****” and then shot a woman in Chicago. ICE got a priest in the head seven times with pepper balls. ICE is causing all the problems. They are separating families, taking people away, and putting them god knows where because they sure as hell won’t tell anyone. And yet they need the protection. Absolutely not. 

Oh and then, you have the president saying that 1) Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson should be jailed for not protecting the hate group that is causing the problems (and let’s be honest here, the reason he wants them in jail is because they disagree with him and called him out on being absolutely awful in every way) and 2) that they cancelled free speech. You can’t cancel free speech. Not in this country, it is literally written on this document that people talk about all the time, especially his supporters. They really like to talk about Amendment number 2 on the Bill of Rights. For those of you who don’t remember your constitution from the test we all had to take in high school, let me refresh your memory:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

So, things that you can do under the First Amendment: disagree with the President, pray to whatever god you want to, demonstrate against whatever you want as long as it is peaceful, and the press is allowed to expose the truth about the President. Because, you know, that’s their job. In both of my points above, the president has violated the Bill of Rights. Which, let me see, what have I had the misfortune of hearing every time there is a mass shooting? Oh, yes. Violating Amendment Number 2 is treason. So, why is saying you have canceled everyone’s right to free speech, putting in the troops so people can’t protest, and trying to imprison people who disagree with as well as starting an insurrection on January 6th, 2021, not treason? I mean…are people not witnessing the same thing? Does MAGA see something else entirely? 

And since I’m on a roll, let me also quote the Declaration of Independence and then follow it up with Amendment Number Four.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

Everyone is created equal. Everyone. I’m sorry if you think that looking a certain way makes you better than everyone else. You’re wrong. I’m sorry that you think that because you have been privileged to have more money, to have been born at a certain time, or to be a certain skin color, that means that you have more rights than anyone else. You are wrong. Terribly terribly wrong. Onto amendment number four:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” 

You can’t arrest someone or detain them without a warrant. You can’t enter their home without a warrant. You aren’t supposed to be able to do any of these things and yet ICE is grabbing people off the street because of how they look. And Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court said that was okay. That’s treason, that’s against the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. And somehow, someway, no one is doing anything about any of this violating of the Constitution. We’re holding hearings, but no one is answering the bigger question: why are republicans in Congress allowing this to happen, and how are none of Trump’s supporters seeing the problem? 

I guess that’s my question: why? Why does anyone think this is okay? Why is it even a debate? No, you can’t grab people off the street and arrest them for being brown. No, you can’t tell the press they can’t print something because it tells the world how awful the president actually is when he doesn’t want to hear it. Yes, it is illegal to just randomly deport people without a trial (see amendments numbers five through eight). And yes, it is illegal to call for people to be arrested because they disagree with you when you are the president of the United States. And for the love of all that is good, look at Amendment Number 9:

“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” 

Now, someone needs to tell me why all of this is okay. Why are we letting people get away with this? Why is anyone okay with the governors having to be the ones who say, “Hey, you can’t do that?” Why is it okay to hate? And follow someone who has so much hate in their heart? The new Pope had to step in and remind everyone that Pro-Life doesn’t mean anti-abortion and screw everything else that moves. The Pope has to remind us that being kind is not ‘woke,’ it’s being a good person. 

And how in the hell are we supposed to do this for another three years? If no one stops them now, it’s only going to get worse. Something needs to happen before it’s too late.

And here, have a video of the amazing governor of my state standing up for his city and his state, because it makes me proud to be a resident of Illinois.

Sources:

Fields, Ashleigh. “Top DHS Official Defends ICE Officer Who Shot Pastor with Pepper Ball.” The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025, thehill.com/homenews/5547044-pastor-shot-pepper-ball-ice/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

Hickman, Renee. “Bodycam Footage Conflicts with DHS Account of Chicago Woman’s Shooting by Border Patrol, Lawyer Says.” Reuters, 8 Oct. 2025, www.reuters.com/world/us/bodycam-footage-conflicts-with-dhs-account-chicago-womans-shooting-by-border-2025-10-08/.

Hickman, Renee, and Brad Brooks. “Footage of Deadly ICE Shooting in Chicago Suburb Challenges Official Narrative.” Reuters, 24 Sept. 2025, www.reuters.com/world/us/police-records-witness-accounts-complicate-dhs-narrative-fatal-chicago-area-ice-2025-09-24/.

National Archives. “Declaration of Independence.” National Archives, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 7 Aug. 2025, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.

---. “The Bill of Rights: A Transcription.” National Archives, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 28 Apr. 2025, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript.

Price, Michelle L, and Sophia Tareen. “Trump Says Illinois Governor and Chicago Mayor Should Be Jailed.” AP News, 8 Oct. 2025, apnews.com/article/trump-chicago-pritzker-johnson-national-guard-illinois-3ca116f867916ac6538bf45ce391c94c.

Savage, Charlie. “Trump Baselessly Claims He “Took the Freedom of Speech Away” from Flag Burners.” The New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/politics/trump-freedom-of-speech-flag-burning.html.