My grandpa, Omar Gomez, grew up in Julimes, a small town outside Chihuahua, Mexico, in the grip of immense poverty. Two of his siblings passed away in childhood, and as a boy, he roamed the thorny desert barefoot. At just 14 years old, armed with nothing but a quarter and resolve, he immigrated to the United States.
My grandpa was a hardworking, law-abiding man who greatly revered the U.S. Despite this, he experienced numerous racist encounters; his white neighbors repeatedly called immigration authorities.
The vitriol my grandpa endured is deeply unfounded. After all, it was America that helped create the impoverished conditions in Mexico, necessitating his immigration. The U.S. supported anti-communist leaders despite overt authoritarian repression, specifically President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, perpetrator of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo displaced thousands of Mexicans and mandated that Mexico cede 55% of its territory to the U.S. Notably, U.S. corporations also currently exploit Mexican workers in unsafe border factories.
Political debate largely ignores that U.S. interventions have destabilized nations, spurring immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that cruelly sow fear are not the solution. Improved foreign policy is.
The United States now reckons with the consequences of its own actions; tampering with other countries is never without repercussions.
— Sophia Heath, Evanston
Magic of an immigrant tailor
I hear all the recriminations and accusations made against immigrants, and it irritates me. My father came to Chicago in 1947, met my mother and began a thriving tailoring enterprise that was known throughout the city, suburbs and Midwest.
At its peak in the 1960s and ’70s, Mike the Tailor employed over 12 master tailors, along with numerous pressers and counter help. But what drew the masses was Mike Politis, whose artistry with a needle and thread brought them streaming to a storefront in Jefferson Park, which soon had to expand to double storefronts and a home where I grew up as Mike’s son.
Even in my youth, I knew my father could do things that most people could never do. In turn, his legend prospered, and Mike the Tailor turned into a 50-year-old business. I can no longer direct anyone to view this building for it closed in 2002, and there is nothing of its kind in existence these days.
Please think twice before deriding immigrants and remember my father who achieved it all because of the magic he created with a needle and thread.
— Harry M. Politis, Wilmette
Criticism of Trump over Iran
What’s the problem with U.S. troops remaining in the region once hostilities end with Iran?
Reconstruction lasted 12 years after the Civil War ended. The Allies occupied Axis Power nations after World War II, including Austria and Korea. The Philippines remained under American control until full independence in July 1946.
If I’m not mistaken, the United States still maintains a significant military presence in South Korea 73 years after the Korean War ended.
As for the War Powers Resolution being circumvented by President Donald Trump, not all presidents adhered to it. Bill Clinton continued to bomb Kosovo in 1999 well beyond the 60-day limit without congressional approval. Barack Obama’s 2011 Libyan bombing campaign lasted about eight months, violating the War Powers Resolution.
Then we had Joe Biden continue the practice of using existing older authorization (such as those from 2001 and 2002) for strikes in the Middle East.
So what’s the problem?
— Bruce R. Hovanec, Chicago
Bombing Iran into submission
President Donald Trump wants to bomb Iran into submission. Historically, that approach has had mixed results.
Dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima did not end World War II. Some argue the war was over anyway, but Japan just hadn’t admitted it yet. At the time, we’d already been carpeting cities with fire bombs that suffocated people by the thousands before incinerating them. To the Japanese, the atomic bomb really didn’t seem a whole lot worse than that.
We dropped another atomic bomb three days later on Nagasaki.
When the Japanese leadership finally realized that America was capable of killing every single person in Japan, they surrendered. So, yeah, that worked.
In the Korean War, we reached a point in which we stopped bombing North Korea. We didn’t run out of bombs. We ran out of targets. Yet North Korea never surrendered.
So, bombing people into submission doesn’t always work. Unless you go nuclear. But Trump would have to be crazy to do that.
— Dave Coyne, Goshen, Indiana
Time to end the war in Iran
Obviously, we don’t have all the intelligence that the government has so it’s somewhat easy to “Monday quarterback” the administration. Regardless, it’s time to bring this conflict in Iran to an end. If we can believe what we’ve been told, the damage to critical parts of Iran’s nuclear capabilities has accomplished our major concern.
Here, the current situation is causing extreme pressure on gasoline prices and our economy in general. Moreover, continued bombing is expensive, and we are already deeply in debt. To accomplish more would most likely require troops on the ground, and certainly no one wants that.
Therefore, my suggestion is for President Donald Trump to declare victory and stop the bombing. At the same time, we can continue strong economic sanctions on Iran and work with our allies in the Middle East to also keep up pressure on Iran.
Perhaps this is not an ideal solution for Trump, but it’s better than a prolonged stalemate or a larger military conflict.
— Dan Schuchardt, Wheaton
Stop all gerrymandering
King Charles III’s speech to a joint session of Congress was peppered with references to our democracy. He described Congress as a “citadel of democracy” that represents the American people, and he emphasized the “spirit of liberty” and “no taxation without representation” as core founding ideals.
Unfortunately, our democracy currently falls short of these ideals. However, it could be fixed by mandating legislative districts be created by independent, nonpartisan panels in all states. Illinois has one of the most heavily gerrymandered maps in the U.S. As a resident, I would gladly give this up to see the entire country abandon this toxic practice.
Gerrymandering directly facilitates polarization in politics and stalemate in Congress. We the people are getting the shaft. Ending gerrymandering would have a cascading effect throughout all aspects of our government and society.
— Andy Olcott, Glenview
Let AI draw the districts
You want to stop gerrymandering? Then let artificial intelligence assign all legislative districts simply by population according to the law, leaving out race completely. Problem solved fairly for everyone.
— Robert Stasch, Chicago
AI should stay out of politics
The more I see the emergence of artificial intelligence, the more I think it should be totally prevented from engaging in politics in any form, with severe penalties for violations. It is that simple.
Do we want our elections decided by humans or robots?
— Neil Gaffney, Chicago
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