We’re
likely to get Rahm II (along with III, IV, V and however many other terms
Emanuel wants to seek) at the rate we’re going. There just isn’t any of the
feistiness required to truly get the public all worked up enough to care about
who wins on Election Day.
WHICH
IS WHY I personally got my kick out of the statement issued by Chicago Teachers
Union President Karen Lewis. She, of course, is the woman who wanted an Emanuel
opponent, but developed enough health concerns to prevent her from running a
campaign.
Lewis
didn’t issue any kind of Emanuel criticism on Wednesday. In fact, she didn’t
even address the mayoral campaign.
Her
issue of concern was the fact that Little League International said it was
giving in to the concerns of those people who want to view as a fraud the
Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West team that became U.S. champions in last year’s
Little League World Series.
That
team is no longer recognized as national champions. Instead, the record books
that are supposed to preserve what really happened will say that a team from
Las Vegas, Nev., was the best in the U.S.
A
TEAM FROM West Dundee will now be recognized as the Illinois state champions,
while a team from suburban Lansing will be recognized as a regional champ
instead of the kids who represented the Roseland and Morgan Park neighborhoods –
even though some of them openly admitted they were from suburban places such as
South Holland, Dolton, Lansing and Lynwood.
If
it comes across that I think this is a stupid action by Little League officials
being done on behalf of sore losers who couldn’t beat the Jackie Robinson kids
on the playing field, you’d be correct.
It
also seems that Lewis has a similar sentiment. She said she “do(es) not respect”
the decision, and she said she will continue to think of the Chicago-area kids
as the real champions of 2014.
She
went so far as to say she thinks the team ought to retain its championship, ber
issued an apology and that the dozen kids who played baseball and captured the
hearts and minds of some of our society (perhaps others couldn’t get past the
notion of an all-black team being the best) ought to be compensated with
college scholarships.
“EVERY
PLAYER SHOULD receive full-ride scholarships for college sponsored by the
people who have humiliated these boys, their families and their community,”
Lewis wrote.
Which
is a concept that I’m sure would infuriate those people who brought about the
investigation, even though Little League International officials initially said
they did not have concerns about the residency requirements for the Jackie
Robinson West kids.
Yet
I can’t help but think that’s exactly the kind of in-your-face rhetoric the
Chicago mayoral campaign needs in order to give a jolt of excitement, some
interest so to speak, into this election cycle. Maybe require Emanuel to build
new schools to replace the 50 facilities that were closed in primarily black
neighborhoods?
Something
that would make people care enough to want to vote and feel like there is a
legitimate reason to care about who has the leadership of our municipal
government.
IF
KAREN LEWIS could get so worked up over the Jackie Robinson West kids, just think
how hard she’d be hammering away at Emanuel. Certainly more than Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia, the politico who has Lewis’ endorsement and is trying to fill the
organized labor niche in this election cycle.
Certainly
enough to help us avoid the possibility of so many Emanuel sequels!
Just
a pair of thoughts to trigger your minds for the day – would Rahm IV and V be
as incredibly bloated, pompous and vapid as Rocky IV and V?
And
who is the political opponent of actor Carl Wethers' Apollo Creed character in the Rahm series of stories?
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment