Author: pvbella

In Chicago only the criminals get compassion

Published by pvbella on September 19, 2021

Another mass shooting, five people were shot in Austin. Another toddler was shot Saturday. There were multiple shootings citywide over a twelve-hour period Friday. On Saturday, multiple people were shot over a four-hour period. There were robberies and stabbings too.

Ho-hum, just another typical bloody Chicago weekend. The Summer Olympics of Violence is leading into the Fall Gun Games. The silent apathy in this city is deafening. It is appalling. What does it take for people to get angry? What does it take for people to demand change?

The city is failing miserably. Yet, the citizens and friendly news media editorial boards are mute. No matter where you live in Chicago, you are not safe. You have a higher chance of getting shot and killed, or being the victim of a violent crime than catching COVID.

Where did this mass apathy come from? Why do most people think something cannot happen to them? Why are we not demanding better?

So-called criminal justice reform is failing. We are being lied to by elected officials, the activists they are in bed with, and the news media through their silence. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is lying, Kimm Foxx is lying, the Chief Judge is lying, Chicago Machine Boss, Toni Preckwinkle is lying, Superintendent of Police David Brown is lying, the friendly news media is aiding and abetting their lies.

The only truth is in the numbers, and the numbers keep rising. We will smash records this year in shootings and murders. According to HeyJackass!:

September to date- 50 souls shot and killed. 54 total homicides.
Last week- 22 souls shot and killed. 24 total homicides.
Year to date- 575 souls shot and killed. 2800 shot and wounded. Total shot, 3375. Total homicides- 608.
A victim is shot almost every two minutes in Chicago.
A victim is murdered just over every ten minutes in Chicago.
The cause of death by homicide is 94.9%.

Chicago should be nominated for entry into The Gun Violence Hall of Fame. The hall of fame is as imaginary as reform or the plans, strategies, and precision deployments from the leadership of this city and Cook County. We only see the boring itemized list of guns recovered or people arrested Tex Brown puts out during his press conferences.

Years ago, back when Chicago cared, there would be collective outrage over infants and children being shot or shot and killed. There would be a collective demand for justice.

Now, there is a callous apathy in this town without pity. Only the criminals get justice, and the justice is a slap on the wrist. It is not justice. They get mercy.

Maybe we should change the name. Instead of the Criminal Justice System. We should call it the Criminal Mercy System. We could replace the prosecutors and judges with nuns. The Sisters of Clemency, led by Sister Mary Hilarius*. We could turn the Cook County Jail into The Home for Wayward Felons. Why not? Since the criminals get more compassion than the victims. We all know that compassion reforms murderous criminals, don’t we?

*There is a Saint Hilarius, a former Pope.

Chicago is lost

Published by pvbella on September 17, 2021

“These murders went out of the comprehension of a civilized city,” … “The butchering of seven men by open daylight raises this question for Chicago: Is it helpless?” (Chicago Tribune on the St. Valentines Massacre)

As summer turns to fall, none of the news is good. COVID-19 is still a threat. Getting shot, killed, beaten, robbed, or carjacked in Chicago is a worse threat. Now, experts are warning the upcoming flu season could be “brutal.”

We are lost. We do not know what to fear most, disease or being violently victimized as the Summer Olympics of Violence winds down. If the violence abates during the fall, Mayor Lightfoot and her Police Superintendent, David Brown, will claim victory. All their failed, and failing plans, strategies, deployments, and precision deployments worked. The mayor will award Brown the Gold Cookie. The losers will be winners.

Crime usually drops off in the fall and through winter. Of course, the friendly media will credit failure and convince the gullible naïfs in this city that Brown was a success. The citizens of Chicago are easily fooled and will believe whatever the media tells them.

Chicagoans complain about everything except the things that matter, like life and death on the streets. The bloodshed is hushed up. Brown tosses out dry, boring data. How many guns the police took off the street, how many people were arrested for gun possession, blah, blah.

Whatever is being done is not stopping the violence. It is not mitigating or curbing it. Prevention is almost impossible.

Seven people were killed during the St. Valentine’s massacre, a mass shooting heard around the world. Newspapers nationwide were in an uproar. Headlines screamed. Editorials were brutal. The citizenry was appalled. It led to the demise of Capone’s grip on Chicago.

There were over 50 mass shootings this year, most over the spring and summer. Not one peep from the friendly editorial boards. Not one word from community groups or supposed activists. No outrage from the citizens. It is all ho-hum. Lightfoot and the incompetent State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx keep getting the benefit of the doubt.

Foxx is supposed to be the voice of victims in court. Foxx flipped the script. She is the voice of the criminals. The news media and editorial boards lap it up.

We are heading into another warm weekend. Already, “At least four people were killed and 10 others wounded in a string of shootings across Chicago overnight. A fifth victim was beaten to death.” (WGN9 9/17/2021) These shootings and the beating occurred from one end of the city to another, 78^th Street to Irving Park Road, between 8:30 PM and 8:30 AM.

Why is the violence in this city not considered “out of the comprehension of a civilized city?” Are we no longer civilized? Where is the outrage over the daily butchering of men, women, and children, even infants, all hours of the day and night?

“Is Chicago helpless?” The answer is yes. If COVID-19 does not kill you, a stray bullet might. Yet, the news media is focusing on COVID more than violence. The mayor and Tex Brown are getting a free pass. There is no anger among the citizens. No one is pointing fingers at the real culprits, the mayor, most of the mute alderpersons, the Police Superintendent, Kim Foxx, and the courts. We are being failed on all levels. We are accepting failure as an option.

The weekend is upon us. The weather will be nice. It will be perfect for the Summer Olympic of Violence games to go on. So, mask up, social distance, stay out of crowds, and stay off the streets. Stay alive.

Hats off to Chicago’s archcriminal

Published by pvbella on September 15, 2021

This is the city, Chicago, Illinois. The story you are about to read is true. The name was not changed because we do not know it.

There is an archcriminal preying on the streets of Chicago. He lurks, sneaks, and skulks in darkness. Some say he is a myth. Others claim he is a legend. Like some historical or fictional archcriminals, he is a hero. He steals from thieves. His crimes are dearly costing them.

Chicago Superintendent of Police, Tex Brown, is planning, strategizing, and creating precision deployments to stop this one-man crime wave. He formed a posse. They will ride out at sundown to hunt for this elusive mastermind and bring him in Texas-style, dead or alive.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for all hands on deck to catch this nefarious and mysterious criminal before he caused more losses to the thieves.

The mayor asked the FBI to get involved. They had to refuse. Too many resources were tied up investigating aldercreatures.

States Attorney Kim Foxx promises to throw the book at this archcriminal. Her office will swiftly approve felony charges and recommend no bail to keep the thief in jail until his trial is over. She will provide vigorous prosecution of this nefarious criminal. Reform be damned. How dare he, how dare he steal from other thieves?

This crime spree is way more severe than the murder and mayhem plaguing Chicago and the catch and release of violent criminals by prosecutors and the courts.

The only people who are not concerned are the citizens of Chicago. They are cheering this ghost. His crimes and the ability to get away with them in this era of surveillance are epic. Who does not love a thief who steals from thieves?

Who are the thieves this archcriminal is stealing from? They are not the Chicago Outfit. The few thieves they have left are a rag-tag bunch of aging stumbling bumblers. It is hard to commit crimes using a walker.

Our thief is not stealing from the bands of thieves who terrorize high-end stores in broad daylight, walking out thousands or tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise.

Why is there an all-hands-on-deck approach to stop and capture him? Our loveable thief is stealing from the City of Chicago, the modern-day Chicago Outfit.

According to CWB Chicago, the best crime reporting news site in Chicago, this archcriminal is stealing red light cameras. Those cameras steal more money than violent criminals with guns and bespoke dressed aldercreatures with laptops and cell phones.

So far, the thief struck the same intersection three times over the summer. The cameras were at the intersection of Lawrence and Cicero Avenues in the Sauganash area. They generate about $850.00 per day when operational.

The Chicago City Council, a band of brigands themselves, is in an uproar over the audacity of this bandit to step on their turf. If anyone were going to steal from the city, it should be them, not some renegade.

The thieves at City Hall are praying he does not go after the speed cameras. Since the city lowered speeding from over ten mph to over six mph, they stole over 1.1 million dollars from the citizens since the spring. The city would vote to implement the death penalty if the thief struck those cameras.

During this Summer Olympics of Violence and the city’s willing failure to curb it, we needed a hero. We found one, an unknown archcriminal. Hats off to you, whoever you are.

The name game

Published by pvbella on September 15, 2021

Keeping up with the destigmatizing and appropriate vocabulary changes is like playing Scrabble, rearranging the tiles to create new terms.

Since man created societies, there has been the haves and the have nots. The haves have. The have nots do not have. Another word for the have nots is poor.

Elected officials love poor people. They and others love the poor so much, they keep them impoverished, generation after generation.

The other day, I heard a loving local politician refer to the poor as underserved. For the past several years, politicians and word weasels keep changing the vocabulary. They do not do this to erase a stigma on the poor or anyone else. They change words to feel better about themselves for doing nothing.

We had the poor, poverty, impoverished, disadvantaged, distressed, now underserved.

Underserved is just what it means, the opposite of overserved. Politicians cannot overserve people, now, can they? We cannot have large numbers of overserved people stumbling or driving on the streets.

There was welfare. Now it is called benefits, assistance, and entitlements. Food assistance is called SNAP. SNAP is snappier than food assistance.

Take homelessness, a decades-long major problem in Chicago. Ever since the pandemic, homelessness has increased. There are encampments of all sizes throughout the city. What did our political word weasels do? They came up with the term unhoused to take the stigma off them for doing nothing. What next? Unapartmented? Uncondoed?

How about the word problem? We no longer have problems. We have issues. No matter the problem, it is merely an issue. Issue sounds warmer and easier to swallow than that harsh word problem. When an issue becomes a problem, they call it a crisis. Crisis is scarier than problem and gives the impression that elected officials are doing something when they do nothing.

There used to be pollution. Along came global warming. Then it became climate change. Then, climate emergency. Now, we have a climate crisis. What next? Climate apocalypse? Climate Armageddon? Climate rapture? Climate end times?

There were peaceful protests, civil disobedience, and riots. When a peaceful protest turns into a riot, it is now called a peaceful protest with some disruptions. We cannot allow violent protest, so we ignore it.

Equality was replaced with equity because those wily elected officials realized we are only created equal on paper. We no longer treat people as equals. We must treat all people as equitable.

Superintendent of Police David Brown has great word weasels. Every week he has new plans, strategies, deployments, and precision deployments in his failure to curb violent crime in Chicago.

There used to be all kinds of hucksters, con artists, and hawkers selling products and snake oil on television and in magazines. Some were politicians. With the advent of social media, they are called influencers. Some are or become celebrities. They tout everything and anything, raking in bucks or claiming fame on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. There are online courses on how to become an influencer overnight.

For some unknown reason, we put xs on the ends of terms, like Latinx. How come there are no Italianx, Polishx, Irishx, Blackx, or other racex or nationalityx? Are we not an inclusive society?

We used to have sexes. Now, they are genders. The number of genders keeps growing. Soon, gender will replace sex as an activity. We will have gender between the sheets.

Politician is fading out of use. Politicians are called candidates or elected officials. They needed to change the word because politician became associated with corruption, lies, immorality, and other negative connotations. Politicianx sounds better and more inclusive.

We used to have ex-convicts. Then they were called ex-felons and former felons. They are now called formerly incarcerated since many continue being felons after their incarceration.

There were alcoholics and addicts. They are now substance abusers.

Prostitutes, strippers, and pornography performers are now sex workers. Sex worker is more appropriate because they work for a living.

We were a nation of principles. Now, we are a nation of values or morals, though we practice neither. By the way, we never practiced principles.

Religion is falling out of use. People of faith or the faithful are the new terms. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious buildings are called places of worship. One word became a mouthful.

The vocabulary changes come so fast it is hard to keep up. It intensifies my anti-social tendencies. I no longer know what proper terms to use, so I no longer talk to people in fear of making a major faux pas.

God is not against vaccines

Published by pvbella on September 14, 2021

For some strange reason, people are still refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Now that companies are requiring proof of vaccines for their employees and the government is mandating workplace vaccines, freedumb loving people are digging their heels in deeper.

The one way out is religious exemption or accommodation. Large numbers of unvaccinated people are getting that old-time religion. They are shopping for churches they do not attend to give them a written exemption. It is a good bet those preachers of Hell, fire, and brimstone are requesting donations in return for the exemption.

A Google search shows that there are plenty of sites providing exemption forms. Some sites purport to offer biblical quotes against vaccination as proof the faithful liars are truthful.

There were no vaccinations in biblical times. As knowledge evolved into science, then medicine, theology accepted the changes. If people are such firm believers, they will ignore all medical procedures, cures, and remedies.

The only remedy they and their preachers are refusing on religious grounds is the COVID-19 vaccine. Talk about heresy. We used to burn heretics at the stake.

So far, In Chicago, there are no preachers or churches publicly advocating against vaccinations or mandates. No one knows what they are doing or telling congregants behind closed doors.

This stubborn, stupid resistance to vaccination is not religious. It is political. Most of the Bible-thumping preachers are more political than religious. They mix their religion with politics. If it were up to them, they would be like the Taliban.

People are refusing to vaccinate because they claim it is their right. OK. They have a right to suffer horribly and die. With rights come responsibility. These anti-vaxxers are irresponsible.

“In rural Hudson, Iowa, Sam Jones has informed his small congregation at Faith Baptist Church that he is willing to provide them with a four-paragraph letter stating that “a Christian has no responsibility to obey any government outside of the scope that has been designated by God.” (Chicago Tribune)

Sam Jones never studied theology or the Bible. It is a good bet his good book is illustrated, and he uses crayons to color the pictures. By the way, what about all the he-in and she-in, he-in and he-in, she-in and she-in, and me-in and me-in those good old-timey religious folks and preachers practice when no one is looking?

God never said anything about disobeying the government. Neither did Jesus. There is nothing in the New Testament about God’s law trumping civil law.

We are not living thousands of years ago when the first scriptures were laid down. No one can find one biblical reference to vaccines in the Bible because there were no vaccines in antiquity.

There are very few religions in this country that prohibit vaccinations. The few that do are of the evangelical faith-healing sects. You can find more information here.

There is no scientific correlation between the long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccine to the long-term effects of death. There is no religious correlation between the long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and the eternal condemnation of one’s soul. No true believer will be condemned to Hell for getting vaccinated.

These people do not want to be vaccinated. They will do anything to avoid it, even lying in the name of God.

If you do not want to get vaccinated, you should not be allowed in the workplace. You probably will not be eligible for unemployment. You deserve to be impoverished for your ignorance.

You gotta be kidding me

Published by pvbella on September 13, 2021

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s latest crime-fighting plan is in the realm of you cannot make this s**t up.

If the consistent failure to curb the violence plaguing Chicago citywide were not enough, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced another policy that will fail. She wants the City Council to pass an ordinance allowing the city to sue gangs and gang members.

The City Council fits the ordinance’s definition of a gang due to their history of criminality. Maybe she should start there.

This is a dumb bad joke. The mayor stopped criticizing Kim Foxx. My guess is she got slapped down hard by Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle. Foxx has a better media presence than the mayor. Appearance is everything to the gullible voters in this city.

The proposal for the ordinance before the City Council was pushed back. A few aldermen expressed dismay. The rest are mute, as they have been during this long hot Summer Olympics of Violence.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown is failing and flailing, using Alphabet Soup to develop new names for his plans, strategies, deployments, precision deployments, and whatever this week brings.

Over the weekend, 48 people were shot, including 6 killed. There was another mass shooting (4 or more people), the 53rd mass shooting this year. What part of failure doesn’t Lightfoot or Brown understand? Gangs are not the only reason for this violence. Neither are drug dealers. Other social issues cause this citywide violence. Some are systemic. Others are behavioral.

The street cops and detectives are the only ones trying to stem the violence against a failing leader. The State’s Attorney refuses to do her job, prosecuting felons. The courts let felons out on low or no bail. They also allow felons to plead their cases down to misdemeanors.

The corrections system is anything but. It warehouses prisoners without reforming them. Ex-felons and felons commit many violent crimes while on parole or probation. Kim Foxx will not prosecute probation or parole violators.

The failure to prevent and curb violence in Chicago should be appalling. There is only one way left to fix this situation. The citizens must say enough is enough. The editorial boards of our news media must stop playing nice with City Hall and demand change or heads to roll.

There should be a rising crescendo of anger, outrage, protest with the threat of ballot box retribution. That is the only thing that will bring about change. Elected officials, including judges, should be quaking in their boots, fearing they could lose their positions. They would have to work for a living. Work is an anathema to them, which is why they entered politics.

Where is the outrage

Published by pvbella on September 12, 2021

“In an interview with the Tribune on Friday, Lightfoot said people throughout Chicago are afraid because of street violence but said her administration is making long-needed changes that will help curb crime over time.” (Chicago Tribune- 9/10/2021).

Mayor Lori Lightfoot does not realize, Chicago ran out of time months ago. She is hoping the onset of cooler weather will drive the number of violent crimes down. Lightfoot can award Police Superintendent David Brown a Gold Cookie for winning the Summer Olympics of Violence. She can claim victory. She knows the people and friendly news media will buy it.

Memories are short in this city. The news media is too cozy with City Hall. They will praise the mayor and the superintendent for their “success.” The gullible citizens will lap it up. Peace at last! Let’s have a parade with a fall food and music festival in Grant Park.

There should have been screaming editorials demanding change and for Superintendent Brown to resign or be fired by midsummer. Alderman should have been shouting from the rooftops to fire Brown. Failure is an option is Chicago’s new motto.

Part of public safety is crime control and prevention. The criminals are out of control, and the daily numbers show there is little prevention. Brown keeps playing the name game with strategies, plans, deployments, and precision deployments. It is alphabet soup.

“Gangs, guns, and drugs” is the new old bold plan Brown trotted out last week. We heard that from the past nine former superintendents and their interim appointees, going back to the Daley administration. Tex Brown shoots from the lip, week after failing week. He can’t hit the broadside of a barn.

I am waiting for the week before Halloween when Superintendent David Brown can blame the violence on the ghosts of Al Capone and his gang. He will form a Community Paranormal Untouchable Ghostbusters Unit (PUGU) to go after them.

Year to date, over 3000 people have been shot and over 500 hundred killed by gunfire. The street violence is out of control, with carjackings, robberies, and other violent crimes or crimes with threats of violence. Infants, toddlers, children, teens, adults, and the elderly were victims of violence and murder. Over 30 police officers have been shot at or shot so far this year. One, Ella French, was murdered, and her partner catastrophically injured.

This failure is our fault too. We should demand better. There is no collective anger among the citizens. Since the pandemic loosened up, all Chicago wants to do is go out and party hearty. Ooh, a concert. Ooh, a street fest. More murders and violent crime? Meh. All we want are bread and circuses. We should be mass protesting at City Hall every day.

Sometimes, elected officials must make unpopular choices to solve thorny issues. It takes courage. There is no courage at City Hall, the State’s Attorney’s office, or the courts. There is no will to be unpopular.

Chicago became a spineless city. We surrendered to the barbarians.

Next month is the 150^th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The city was devastated, burned to the ground. While the final embers were still smoldering, the civic leaders and boosters started rebuilding. We became the city of we will, and we can. We will rise from the ashes bigger, better, and stronger. We did.

The city is metaphorically burning to the ground. Violence spreads throughout the city like the wind-blown firestorm of 1871. There is no one to put out the fire.

How low can we go

Published by pvbella on September 11, 2021

People ask me why I am so insulting, referring to the citizens of this nation as blissful dips**ts, idiots, bark chewers, and knuckle-dragging pecker heads. I explain using one word, facts.

The proof is right before our eyes every hour of every day. We are witness to the final dumbing down of America, the End Times if you will.

The talentless, bubble-brained, socially irrelevant Kardashians created a multi-billion-dollar empire over their trashy dysfunctional lifestyle. They are major influencers with millions of followers. Why?

Many of our elected officials have Kardashian-like status as celebrity icons. They have millions of gullible followers nationwide and bask in their fame. They are Twitter stars to millions of twits. Politicians are not supposed to be celebrity icons or popular. They are lowly servants and should be treated as peons.

Millions of pandemic deniers, anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, believers in livestock dewormer, “Merica loving, bible-thumping, God-fearing followers of the Church of Crystal Methodists, who would rather get a catastrophic disease or horribly die to preserve their freedumb. This includes the elected officials who represent, defend, and enforce freedumb.

Let us not forget Texas and Florida. Enough said.

How about all the less-ons* performing the latest fad, climbing piles of unstable milk crates trying not to crash to the ground? They make the Tide Pod eaters and horse dewormer believers look like members of Mensa.

The Proud Boys, Antifa, QAnon, Oath Keepers, militias, activists of all stripes, supremacists of all colors, ethnicities, faiths, and adherents. They have millions of followers in the aggregate. Stupid people will believe and follow anything and everything.

People who strongly identify as Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, progressives, socialists, and far-right or left wingnuts who drank the Kool-Aid. They are true believers in political salvation and the resurrection of an America that never existed.

There are legions of humorless wokists and their adherents who terrorize and strike fear in everyone, sucking all the joy out of life. Do not forget the people who believe in them and spread their manure, ruining lives and businesses. Some “organizations” extort money through “donations” to their causes to forgive their supposed sins. They are the handmaidens of the devil.

People believe the news media is fearless, relentless, objective, fair, honest, and balanced. Why?

What about all those who are oh so wildly fascinated by the British Royal family? They have a religious cult-like status in this country of rubes, especially among the social elites. People cannot get enough of even the most trivial aspects of that inbred dynasty. Did they forget we chased their colonial dictatorial asses out of here, creating our own nation? After World War II, America formed a “special relationship” with those descendants of the Huns. What is so special?

The final nail in the coffin of facts is Doctor Pimple Popper, California (Of course) dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee. She has 4.4 million followers on Instagram and 4 million YouTube subscribers. She videos herself popping pimples, blackheads, cysts, and other skin maladies of her patients. Her videos are regularly viewed over one billion times, on average. Who knew a nation could entertain themselves, like porn addicts, watching someone popping skin conditions? Talk about skin flicks.

I am not criticizing the doctor. It is her legions of fans that are disturbing. What kind of low-grade morons are wildly fascinated by blackheads, puss, odorous dead skin cells, or other bodily fluids oozing out of someone’s skin? Worse are the less-ons* of the media reporting and showing her latest videos on television, talk shows, and ezine articles.

Masses of Americans are the lowest common denominator. Over the past few years, this country devolved from a nation of angsty, angry teenagers into braindead lemmings. We are not far from the cliff.

We have one of the best educational, college/university, and postgraduate systems in the world. It produces some of the most gullible naifs in the world. They breed and pass their ignorance onto their sperm and egg omelets. Soon, the fate of this nation will rest in the hands of these spawns of Satan.

The Great Comedian is laughing His ass off at the lunatic s**t show he created.

*Less-on- Lower than a moron.

The era of COVID and violence

Published by pvbella on September 10, 2021

Living in the era of COVID-19 and the Summer Olympics of violence in Chicago is a challenging proposition. No one knows what will kill or harm us, the disease or random bullets.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot should be lauded for the way she handled the pandemic. We should condemn her for how she and her Police Superintendent, David O. Brown, handled the violence.

Most people who suffered or died from COVID were innocent victims. Many of the people shot or murdered, especially children, were innocent victims. Innocence is the only thing the two events have in common.

While other areas of the country are seeing massive spikes in COVID and deaths, Chicago’s rates are not severe yet. Chicagoans believe we are responsible for ourselves and each other. We may not like or agree with various mandates, but most of us comply.

We do not know what to fear more. Catching COVID, being shot, carjacked, or violently victimized walking down the street. It is like a coin flip every time we leave our homes.

While the mayor is issuing common sense mandates for COVID, she does little to nothing about the city’s daily violence. Her mercenary superintendent from someplace else is out of his league. All he does is mumble meaningless numbers at his pressers.

The only media source reporting on violent crimes in Chicago is CWBChicago. They provide in-depth coverage versus copying handouts from the city. They also report on the shortages of officers and supervisors working in various districts.

The past year and nine months feel like an era. It is a long time and road to who knows where. Day after day, there are new COVID variants, more people shot, and other crimes like robberies and carjackings.

Chicago has a history of disease and violence through the 1920s. Cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and the 1918 flu pandemic. If people were quarantined, a sign was posted on the door of the home. There was even an order that police officers will not use the butts of their pistols to nail the signs to the door.

During the same time, there were violent criminal gangs from all ethnicities. Some specialized, like robbing transit garages, where fares were counted and kept. Some of these robberies resulted in murder. Other gangs or lone criminals used violence to commit crimes or settle scores. Many of these criminals were young people. The higher numbers of crimes occurred in certain impoverished pockets of the city, just like today.

Along came prohibition and the Chicago beer wars, adding to the violent criminality. Gangsters killed very few innocent people during that period of violence. They mostly killed or wounded each other.

Today is no different. We have a disease. We curbed it. We have murder and mayhem. The people committing these crimes are more bold and ruthless. Many are very young, even pre-teens. The only difference between now and the early 20th Century is the scale. We are not curbing criminality. Some predict that if the gun violence continues, Chicago may see 1000 or more people killed by years end.

Year to date, 3199 people have been shot. 544 souls were killed by gunfire. (https://heyjackass.com) Every neighborhood in the city is experiencing violent crimes of one sort or another, including rapid transit stations and trains. Violence is out of control.

Some people believe there might be a Bernhard Goetz event in Chicago. In 1984, Goetz labeled the subway vigilante, shot four Black young men while riding in a subway car in New York City. A victim of a previous violent crime, he carried an illegal handgun. Goetz allegedly feared he was being robbed. He was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm. For a while, Goetz was considered a hero and attained local celebrity status.

Many people in Chicago and the suburbs have concealed carry permits, allowing them to carry a firearm. Any one of them could, out of fear alone, shoot someone. This would make “If it bleeds, it leads” headlines along with civil unrest if the victim is a person of color.

A few predict or fear we may see vigilantism by concealed carry permit holders. These are legitimate fears. We do not need or want armed solo or groups of vigilantes wandering the city looking for human targets, causing more murder, mayhem, and civil unrest.

Public safety and public health are the top priorities for city government. Chicago did its best to keep us safe from COVID-19 and continues to do so. Chicago failed to keep us safe on the streets or in our homes and businesses. Throughout this violent year, failure was an option.

We needed change yesterday. It is not just City Hall failing us. It appears the whole criminal justice system is failing us, including prosecutors, courts, and the correction system.

The criminals believe there will be few severe consequences for their actions. They have little to fear. Whether we reside, work, traverse the city, or recreate, we have everything to fear.

We cherish the concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Lives are being taken, liberty is eroding due to fear, and we are not happy about it.

We, the citizens, are we the voters. The vote is a powerful cudgel we hold over the heads of our municipal and county officials. It is past time we use that cudgel to threaten their job security. Clean up the mess you made, or we will clean house.

Timing is everything

Published by pvbella on September 8, 2021

In comedy, timing is everything. The 50 strong comedy troupe in the Chicago City Council are up for a yearly raise tied to the Consumer Price Index. This year it is 5.5%, approximately $6000. They have until September 15^th to decide whether to accept or reject the raise.

Alderpersons not only make six-figure salaries for what is, by definition, a part-time position, but they also have expense accounts, health care benefits and are eligible for pensions if the gullible voters reelect them a few times.

There is no prohibition on alderpersons holding other full or part-time employment, owning businesses, or practicing professions. Some of those professions have conflicts of interest, like property tax reduction attorneys.

Full-time city employees do not have annual raises tied to the Consumer Price Index. They must show up, putting in a 40-hour week. Their unions fight for years to get paltry 2-3% annual raises. Here is a novel idea, all municipal employees should get annual raises tied to the Consumer Price Index, just like the City Council. If it is good enough for the alderpersons, it should be good enough for city employees.

The timing? Citizens of this city, AKA voters, are still struggling from the economic carnage caused by COVID-19. They will not get 5.5% raises along with Rolls Royce benefits and expense accounts. Many are still unemployed or underemployed. The homeless population exploded during the pandemic.

Most citizens in this city have no idea what their alderpersons, do if anything, to “earn” such generosity. They are accountable to no one. There is no transparency.

Alderpersons are not public servants. They are lords and ladies of the manor, dining at a royal banquet. We are paying the tab.

Many alderpersons cry poor, even those who have lucrative professional practices. They have mouths to feed, tuition payments, mortgages, the same expenses us peons have. We get by, barely sometimes. We settle for orts while they get the whole hog with sides and a dessert of apple pie in the sky with ice cream and a cherry on top. There is a reason why many refer to them as aldercreatures or aldercritters.

It is past time for the citizens of this city to be outraged. During this Summer Olympics of Violence, few alderpersons demanded action. Not one harshly criticized Superintendent David O. Brown or State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for their epic failures. They are silent until the payola comes around. Then, you can hear them loudly rooting, grunting, and snorting.

There will be no scathing editorials from the friendly news media in Chicago. They went mute a long time ago. They play well with the politicians. It is inappropriate for the news media to criticize political failure unless politicians get caught with their grubby hands in the cookie jar by the feds.

When the news media was fearless and relentless, they would get their hackles up, scream, and demand change. That was in quaint olden times when slaying dragons was acceptable, and dragon slayers were heroes.

In our new age of genteelness, it is a kindergarten world. The Chicago Way is go along to get along. Play well with others. If you play nice, you might get a dog biscuit. If you are a bad little puppy, you get slapped around like a hockey puck.

Demanding change from elected officials is futile. If the friendly news media turns on them, they may- may, being the operative word- change their stripes. Do not count on those oh-so-appropriate news media purple dinosaurs to do anything. They are all, “I love you. You love me….”

During the pandemic, most people had to take a haircut. People have been unemployed for over a year and a half. The alderpersons got paid whether they showed up or not. While citizens suffer, they keep feeding at the trough.

It is a pity we just sigh and put up with this municipal malfeasance. There is no we the people in Chicago. The people merely provide the slop.

Lest I forget, this is what we are paying for.