Author: pvbella

“I think they’re so myopic in their focus and they’re so afraid of what’s implied and having to defend the decision to teach ‘Maus’ as part of the curriculum that it lead to this kind of daffily myopic response,” the author said. (CNN)

I went to a Catholic elementary school run by Polish nuns. Many of the nuns were children or teenagers in Poland during WWII. Some were consigned to labor camps with their families. They told us about the horrors they witnessed. We saw movies of the Nazis using bulldozers to bury the naked bodies of murdered Jews in mass graves. We saw images of Jews in line waiting to go into the “showers,” the gas chambers. There were other movies and images of the Holocaust. I was in the fifth grade.

Our parents either fought in the war, worked for the war effort, or were displaced persons who fled the destruction and deprivations of the post-war era. There were no protests of the graphic images and tales.

Over the past few years, the right and the left have tried to ban books in schools and libraries due to language or other social and cultural issues. “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Mark Twain created controversies over language. Evidently, educators are too lazy or stupid to teach literature contextually. Better to keep young eyes away from language.

The latest atrocity comes from the “enlightened” folks of the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee. They voted 10-0 to ban “Maus,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel by Art Spiegelman from the eighth-grade curriculum. It is the only graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize. Their specious reasoning? Profanity, an image of female nudity (A female mouse), and suicide in depicting Jewish victims of the Holocaust. How dumb are these less-ons (Lower than morons)?

“Art Spiegelman, the author of “Maus,” said he was baffled by the decision. “This is disturbing imagery,” he said in an interview on Thursday, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day. “But you know what? It’s disturbing history.” (NYT)

Though the vote was taken two weeks ago, the news story came out on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Maus is one of the most moving accounts of the Holocaust. It was deeply personal, as it depicted the author’s family’s struggles during and after that horrid era. It is a visual and written masterpiece.

“The values of the county are understood. There is some rough, objectionable language in this book, and knowing that and hearing from many of you and discussing it, two or three of you came by my office to discuss that” (Director of Schools Lee Parkinson/CNBC)

What values is Herr Parkinson talking about? Maybe Herr Parkinson does not realize that eighth-graders are more sophisticated than prior generations. Hell, television, cable, and streaming services have more horror. nudity, and profanity than a mere book, with what the board considers eight “curse” words and a naked mouse.

“Regarding the nudity, Spiegelman said the image in question was a “tiny image” that depicted his mother being found in a bathtub after she cut her wrists. “You have to really, like, want to get your sexual kicks by projecting on it,” he said.” (CNN)

“Board member Tony Allman took issue with how the content would be redacted, and added, “We don’t need to enable or somewhat promote this stuff. It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids, why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff? It is not wise or healthy,” according to the meeting minutes.” (CNN)

Tony Allman sounds like the proverbial bark chewing back wood’s pecker head. “This stuff?” Sho Nuff.

With the right and the left fighting over what books school children should read, including race, the history of slavery, language, and other cultural issues, I wonder when the book burnings will begin? Who will be the first to burn books, the left or the right? Both are acting like OshKosh B’ gosh inbred Nazis. All they need are armbands and flags.

Both the left and the right are exhibiting the worst fascist tendencies when it comes to educating children. Like the Nazis, they are seeking educational, social, and cultural purity. Instead of teaching literature or history in a modern context, they would instead ban books or curricula. It is more personally comfortable than to admit their intellectual laziness or ignorance.

When will they go after public and school libraries? When will the destruction of public and school libraries start ala Kristallnacht? When will teachers be rounded up for going against the right or left purity models and interred in re-education camps?

The nuns did not spare us from the horrors they witnessed or the history of the Holocaust. Looking back, I realize they wanted to educate us about the past horrors through their personal experiences. They were witnesses of the Holocaust. Later, in college, I learned about the atrocities the Japanese committed during WWII. History is full of horrors going back to ancient times. War itself is horror, no matter how glorious or heroic we deem it to be.

We, as a society, have a duty and obligation to stop any group, right, left, or any other political ideology from banning books. If we do not, history will keep repeating itself.

Here are the minutes from the McMinn County School Board meeting.

I have been pondering Joseph Heller’s quote for the better part of a day. We are living in Chicago, an insane city. A city where wrong is right and right is wrong. In a town where crime is not criminal, victims or their families are blamed for their victimization. It is an upside-down topsy turvy city.

We live in a city where elected officials value criminals and their families over crime victims and public safety. Our elected officials use reckless political abandon to protect criminals from the justice system. According to our betters, criminals and their families are the victims of an oppressive social systemic institutionalized system- whatever that means. The crime victims are tolerable collateral damage until the system changes.

The victims and their families do not count. There is no justice in Chicago. There is only the insanity of violent crime, murder, looting, robberies, carjackings, and the revolving door of injustice.

“Too often we hear news of shootings across Chicago, this continuous activity makes us habituated to these types of scenes. This is NOT something we should have to be accustomed to… Please don’t let her die in vain. No more innocent kids should be killed. Mayor Lightfoot needs to make Chicago safe” (Melissa Ortega family statement/Chicago Sun-Times)

This is the insanity of elected officials doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.

“Words cannot describe the pain I am feeling. On Jan. 22, I lost my greatest treasure in life. I lost my princess. She was the reason why I got up every morning. Everything I did, I did for her,” Melissa’s mother wrote. (Fox 32 Chicago)

Our elected officials are sociopaths. They have weak or no conscience. They have a total lack of empathy and the ability to stand in the victims’ or their familys’ shoes and understand how they feel. They do not care. The politicians’ empathy lies with the criminals. They care more about their feelings and welfare.

“In speaking to other mothers who’ve lost children to gun violence, Gregg said those grieving parents want justice but also to have their child’s story told and not forgotten.” (Angela Gregg, mother of 4-year-old murder victim, Mychal Moultry/Chicago Sun-Times)

We live in a city with an insanely silent population. There is no hue and cry over the rampant criminality from the populace. There are no mass protests, shutting streets and neighborhoods down over the two-year violent crime waves. Children, including toddlers and infants, were murdered or seriously wounded. The apathy of the populace is palpable.

“We came in search of the American Dream we so famously hear of, but instead, I get to live a nightmare for the rest of my life,” the statement from Melissa’s mother said. (Fox 32 Chicago)

It appears our good citizens are docile, drugged residents of Chicago’s insane asylum. The news media is self-medicating in their insanity. How else does one explain their silence? They, too, believe criminals are victims of something or other. They promote the insane policies that are causing bloodshed and murder on our streets. Their editorial board’s silence is consent. They consent to sacrifice victims, especially children, for the greater good of the criminals.

“No mother should have to bury their own child. Violence shouldn’t be something we grow accustomed to. As a community, we failed Melissa. As a city and state, we failed Melissa. As a nation, we failed Melissa,” Melissa’s mother said. (Fox 32 Chicago)

Sane people living in an insane society wonder if there is a cure. The mental health community is silent on our socio-political insanity. They have no answers and no clues. Maybe they are not the experts they claim to be.

What does a sane man do in an insane society? Every citizen should be asking that question. What to do?

“Thou shalt not be a victim

Thou shalt not be a predator

but, above all,

Thou shalt not be a bystander”

(Yehuda Bauer/Holocaust Historian)

It is past time to stop being bystanders. We should loudly raise our sane voices against the insane elected officials. It is time rational people demand the sociopathic politicians reverse course. It is time the victims and their families’ welfare trump the welfare of the criminals.

Silence is consent. If you are silent, you consent to murder, shootings, robberies, carjackings, looting, and other crimes plaguing Chicago. If you are silent, you consent to the murder of children.

I am free. I was locked down and quarantined for nine days due to testing positive for COVID. I was stuck at home. Family brought care packages. Still, not leaving home, going for walks, or hanging in the local coffee shop or bar led to long, dull days. I brag about being anti-social. I like being around humans not interacting with them.

I was vaccinated and had the booster months ago. Last Tuesday, I woke up feeling like I had a cold. On Wednesday, I woke up feeling congested and nauseous. Thursday, I felt worn out, and it felt like small animals were scratching my lungs. I went to get tested. The two rapid tests came back positive. On Friday and Saturday, it still felt like a cold. I took my temperature every few hours, and it was fine. On Sunday morning, I felt like a combination bad hangover and a cold. 

I hunkered down in the bunker took OTC meds and supplements. I had colds and regular flu worse than this, but that is no indication of anything, nor is it small comfort. I lost a few pounds. I heard some people lost between 10-20 pounds due to breakthrough COVID.

A week later, I went to get tested again. The rapid came back negative. I waited a few more days until the PCR came back. It, too, was negative. Now, I am finally liberated.

I took all the precautions, wearing masks, distancing, telling people to stay the f**k away from me, staying away from crowded places, etc. I may have been unknowingly infected, and the symptoms appeared. Like the rest of life, COVID is a roll of the dice.

COVID created havoc throughout the world. None of us is bulletproof against this disease. No matter the precautions we take or how many vaccinations we get, all of us are susceptible. Such is life. I will still take precautions. Self-survival is the first and highest law of nature. I am a survivor.

Some of my vaccinated friends caught COVID. They did not suffer much except for the quarantine. I believe the vaccinations alleviated the severe complications of COVID.

I still see some local freedumb lovers on social media who eschew masking or vaccinations. I cannot believe people can be so stupid. Then, I remember they are the same people who vote for politicians ruining this city and county.

Folks, this pandemic is not over. It is flu season, and the threat of what is known as flurona- a combination of flu and Corona- is real. Take precautions, wear the damn masks, distance, and get vaccinated- COVID and flu shots. There is no guarantee of immunity, but you may not suffer the harsher symptoms of these diseases.

Do it for yourself. Do it for your family. Believe me, being locked down with your only social contact, the phone, or the internet is no fun. Being hospitalized is worse. Why take chances? Protect yourself and your loved ones. Stay healthy. If you test positive, lockdown, no matter how good you feel.

I wrote this yesterday in the coffee shop, my first outing since testing positive. It felt good to be out and about again. Free at last.

Her name was Melissa Ortega. In August, she arrived in Chicago from Mexico over the summer. She was enrolled in school. She was eight years old.

Melissa Ortega was shot in the head in Little Village. She was murdered. She was walking down the street with her mother when shots were fired at an “intended victim.” Melissa Ortega was a victim of the pray and spray shooters in this city.

Another innocent child victim in this violent city. The Little Village community is in mourning.

Melissa Ortega is one of many children, including toddlers and infants, shot and killed in Chicago over the past two years.

Mayor Lightfoot is silent on this murder. She has been silent on the murders of all the innocent children, infants, and toddlers shot and killed. Not a word of sympathy, pity, mercy, or outrage. Not a tear shed. (Impersonal tweets do not count for anything.)

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who is helping drive the violence in Chicago, is silent too. Not one word of sympathy. She is aiding and abetting the violence in this city. She has the blood of all the children murdered in this city on her hands.

Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle is silent over the murders of children on our streets. She is ultimately responsible for the murders, as her policies fuel the murders. She has blood on her hands.

Only one alderman expressed outrage and sympathy, Ray Lopez. He is the lone alderman in the City Council who has the courage to stand up and be counted. The rest keep their heads in the sand.

Do not expect to see scathing editorials in our local news media about the murder of another child. They are aiding and abetting the violence in Chicago. Hell, this is worse than the Capone era and there is nothing but crickets from the news media.

How many innocent children need to be killed before the elected officials abandon their failing reforms and do their jobs? Their job one is public safety. As proven every day in this city, they fail epically. It is more important for them to be right than to admit failure.

There is a total lack of morals and values in our elected officials. They are devoid of humanity. They will only do what they believe in versus what is right and just. Like many of the other children murdered in Chicago, there will be no justice for Melissa Ortega. She will become just another hard cold piece of data. In Chicago, only the criminals and the welfare of their families matter. The victims and their families count for nothing.

Her name was Melissa Ortega. She was eight years old. She was murdered.

Aside from the shooters and the elected officials, who else is to blame? Every single person who voted to reelect Preckwinkle and Foxx. Like them, you have blood on your hands. You knowingly reelected failures with horrendous failing policies.

Voters are like politicians. They never admit they are wrong. Like politicians, they have no pity, mercy, empathy, or sympathy. They refuse to believe they were lied to. They believe in the lies being told. Be proud citizens. You are as responsible for the murdered children as those you voted for and the killers.

Her name was Melissa Ortega. She was eight years old. She was murdered.

I am ashamed to say I am a Chicagoan on days like this. I am embarrassed that the populace of this city is so ignorant. I am chagrined I must live amongst so many apathetic so-called humans.

Her name was Melissa Ortega. She was eight years old. She was murdered. Soon her name will be forgotten. Chicago killed her like all the other forgotten murdered innocent children.

Her name was Melissa Ortega. She was eight years old. She was murdered.

Hello Muddah, hello Faddah
Here I am at Camp Chicaga
Camp is very entertaining
And they say we won’t get shot if it starts raining

I went walking with Joey Sutroop
He was robbed by a small armed group
You remember Jimmy Flinner
He was murdered last night after dinner

All the counselors hate the shooters
And tonight we were hit by looters
And the head coach hates smartasses
So we don’t get any off-camp passes

Now I don’t want this should scare ya
But my bunkmate has Flurona
You remember Jeffery Johah
He tried to sneak in his Shirona

Take me home, oh Muddah, Faddah
Take me home, I hate Chicaga
Don’t leave me out in the city where
I might get shot down on a dare

Wait a minute, sirens are wailing
Guys are hiding, guys are baling
Getting shot at, bullets hailing
Muddah, Faddah…

Dear Muddah, Faddah,

We are sorry to inform you…

“The department has been in a constant state of reorganization since Brown arrived, which is evidence that he has no strategy and doesn’t know what he’s doing,” one police supervisor said.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that CPD leaders say they’ve lost faith in Supt. Brown: ‘I can’t think of one member of the command staff that is willing to back him.’  

It was not a matter of time before the command staff of the Chicago Police Department would lose faith in Superintendent of Police, David “Tex” Brown. It was only a matter of time before some would come forward with their concerns.

If the command staff members are sharing their concerns with the news media, things are worse than they seem. It is unprecedented for the command staff of the Chicago Police Department to publicly express dissatisfaction with the Superintendent. These are appointees who can be demoted on a whim.

Brown has been a disaster from day one. Like many former police executives, he is a mercenary looking for a good payout to pad their pensions. I said this before, the city should eliminate the nationwide search for mercenary police Superintendents and hire from within.

Brown has no strategy to fight crime. He has no strategy to curb violent crime. He has no strategy to curb the looting of retail stores or carjackings. His plans, schemes, deployments, and other initiatives failed and continue to fail. It is proven every day by the number of crimes committed citywide.

“We all agreed Brown was driving CPD into the ground. Zero confidence in his ability to lead the department,” said the source, who predicted there could be more than 1,000 citywide homicides this year if Brown stays in power. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Brown knew and still knows nothing about Chicago. He knows nothing about the neighborhoods or the streets. Brown refused to learn about the city and its people. He refused to learn about the political culture and department culture. Chicago is not Dallas. Brown came in as a know-it-all who knows nothing. He made and continues to make wrong decisions.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot should admit she made a mistake hiring Brown. She should do whatever it takes to send him back to Texas on his trusty steed. If it means a payoff of his contract to get rid of him, the sooner, the better. This city cannot take much more of this gross incompetence.

The rank-and-file police officers are overworked and demoralized. It is a good bet the middle supervisory ranks are just as demoralized.  

I look at things through the lenses of laser focus and effectiveness. There is no focus. There is no effectiveness. There is only chaos. Chaos in the streets and chaos in the Chicago Police Department. This cannot be allowed to go on much longer.

“Tex” Brown is a failure. He has been a failure since day one. It is time for him to go. It is time for Lori Lightfoot to stop defending him. It is time for the aldermen to step up and demand change at the top.

It is time for the citizens of this city to demand better. How much longer are we going to put up with chaos.

Joe Perillo is a prominent businessman in Chicago and the suburbs. He owns multiple car dealerships including Gold Coast Exotic Motors on Rush Street. He has been in the car business for decades.

Last month, in a brazen daytime act, thieves rushed in, smashed display cases, and stole several high-end watches. Mr. Perillo went on radio and television, castigating the city’s handling of crime, especially on the Gold Coast.

I predicted to a friend that Perillo would probably be visited by a city inspector(s). That is the Chicago Way. According to CWB Chicago, Mayor Lightfoot went to the dealership days later to meet with Perillo. According to a CWB source, the meeting did not go well. Lightfoot allegedly called Perillo an idiot as she walked out. A real class act, if true.

Days later, a city inspector showed up and wrote the business several citations. As I said, the Chicago Way. Mayor Lightfoot campaigned to put an end to the Chicago Way. Now, she practices the Chicago Way. It was blatant.

Under Lightfoot’s reign, Chicago turned into a hellscape. Criminals run rampant daily in every neighborhood. Nowhere and no one is safe. Yet, the mayor could not take the righteous anger of a victim, allegedly insulted him, then sicced the hounds on him. How can we take this mayor seriously? What next? Will she threaten to “scrootin” her critics?

Before that incident, the mayor blamed the looting of high-end stores on the businesses. What next blaming the next murder victim for getting killed? Blaming the carjacking victim for driving?

It appears Lightfoot wants to make enemies instead of friends. She is not influencing anyone either.

Businesspeople are fed up. Citizens are fed up. Every day there is brazen looting, euphemistically called smash and grabs to spare the tender sensitivities of the looters. There are daily carjackings, armed robberies, shootings, and murders. There are no touchy-feely euphemisms for those crimes- yet.

This is no way to run a city. Lightfoot is ruining the city. Her temper tantrums are embarrassing. She is not in control. She refuses to criticize the failing policies- a social experiment gone awry- of State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx. She was forced into a frenemy relationship by Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle. Foxx is also a darling of the local news media. She is untouchable.

Lori Lightfoot ran on a campaign of change. She beat Chicago Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle by winning 49 out of 50 wards. Lightfoot offered new hope and a fresh start for the city. She denounced the Chicago Way. Now, she embraces it.

I supported and voted for Lori Lightfoot. I am sorry I did. She broke my heart. The 2023 election cycle will soon be upon us. I hope some competent candidates run against her. The only people who can step up for us are the alderpersons. Unfortunately, most of them are silent or ridiculous.

8760

526,200

31,557,600

The above numbers are the hours, minutes, and seconds in one year. As of today, I survived 604,440 hours, 33,307,800 minutes, and 2,177,474,400 seconds. The clock is still ticking. I am grateful for each hour, minute, and second. There are probably some who are disappointed that I am starting another orbit around the sun today instead of being worm food.

Life has been good, bad, and ugly. As a priest friend once said, life is messy. Looking back, the bad or ugly times were not as bad or ugly as I perceived them. They were just messy

I survived an almost thirty-year career as a Chicago Police Officer without being killed, seriously injured, fired, or going to prison. Being a Chicago Police Officer was the best job in the world. I retired almost fifteen years ago. I found new things to keep me occupied, including working part-time at a cultural institution for over five years.

So far, I have survived the COVID and Chicago violence pandemics. I take all necessary precautions to stay well and safe. I do not have to like living like this. I must do it. Self-survival is the first and highest law of nature. I try my best to survive.

I am fortunate to have friends and acquaintances from all walks of life. The number is not large, and I am good with that. My friends and acquaintances are people I enjoy spending time with, no matter how often or seldom I see or talk to them.

As I embark on another orbit around the sun, I seek new things to stay occupied and sometimes make a few bucks. I am looking to try or learn new things. Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me, and I go down hours long rabbit holes.

I am not the same person I used to be. Life is about change, constant learning, and understanding. Books and schools are not the sole repositories for knowledge. Knowledge is never static. Learning is a lifelong process. Understanding is just as important as knowledge. Learning and understanding are evolutionary processes. When you think you know it all, you are wrong. You are stuck on stupid.

I do not tolerate anyone. Toleration is a lie. Adults tolerate unruly pets and impish children. I accept people for who they are. I treat people the way I want to be treated. The older I get, the more open-minded I become.

Every morning, if I open my eyes, I thank the Great Comedian for another day above ground. I get another chance to watch the sunrise and set. Another 24 hours on this spinning orb.

I live in the present. The past is gone, and the future is just tomorrow, another day. The only advice I can give is to live your life by making every day count. Do something, make something, create something, do things you enjoy, and spend time with the people you love.

No one makes it off this orb alive. I know one day my time will come. I will be near the top of the obit list since we apparently die in alphabetical order. I will have no regrets since I already rued my life’s omissions.

Life is short, no matter how long you live. Live, love, laugh, and eat the damn sandwich.

There are thieves in this world. They steal the works of others and publish them without paying. In some cases, they do not even credit the creators.

There is a continuing discussion among creators of how to handle thieves. Some claim they should not be called criminals- thieves- it is unprofessional. They should be treated with dignity and respect. That will stop them from infringing and hopefully get them to pay for using copyrighted material.

Chicago poet Harriet Monroe wrote an ode for the opening event of the 1893 Chicago World Columbian Exposition. She fought the men who ran the exposition to recognize poetry as an art. She fought those same men because they did not want a woman poet creating the opening poem for such a prestigious city event. Harriet Monroe prevailed.

The ode was seventy-eight pages long, a combination of poetry and performance art. Ms. Monroe copyrighted the poem. A thieving reporter from the New York World, a Pulitzer paper, obtained a copy of the poem. He telegraphed it to the paper. It was claimed to be the longest telegraph sent from Chicago.

The New York World, run by a thief named Joseph Pulitzer, published the poem without permission from Harriet Monroe. I always wonder why the reporters and news entities are so proud to get an award named after a thieving miserable bastard who ran the equivalent of a tawdry tabloid. It tells you all you need to know about journalism and journalists

Harriet Monroe sued over the theft of her work. If there was one thing thieving Joseph Pulitzer hated the most, it was writers with lawyers. He threw the legal and political weight of the New York World and his media empire against Harriet Monroe.

Pulitzer believed he could not lose. Pulitzer was wrong. Harriet Monroe won her lawsuit after it went to the United States Supreme Court. The ruling set a precedent for copyright law infringement.

Harriet Monroe was awarded five thousand dollars by the courts. Pulitzer also had to pay her legal fees and court costs. Had Pulitzer or his paper asked permission to publish the poem, it would have only cost them two hundred dollars.

Harriet Monroe is a forgotten hero to creators. She stopped the newspaper thieves with her lawsuit. The ruling in her case protects creators to this day. Monroe is largely forgotten, while the scoundrel, Joseph Pulitzer, is lionized, go figure.

Harriet Monroe used the award and financial help from Chicago’s elite to establish Poetry Magazine, which led to founding the Poetry Foundation. This is what she is known for. The copyright case is treated as a mere footnote of her life.

Harriet Monroe matters. She took on one of the most powerful men in America. She prevailed. Harriet Monroe set the standard for all creators to stop the theft of their work and get paid.

Harriet Monroe is a true Chicago person. Tough, unbendable, and a fighter for what is right.

If the thieves steal your work, be like Harriet Monroe. Go after them tooth and nail. Be a bully and shamer. Creators confuse professional and professionalism. Professionalism is the rules of conduct, ethics, and practices. Professionals get paid.