Coos and a call: My newborn daughter and Cory Booker give me hope in the face despair
It’s rare to be inspired by government these days. The news feels heavy, bleak even. Since the 2024 election, we’ve seen the rapid dismantling of global alliances, veterans care, food support and education equity. It’s been disorienting. And yet, just three months ago, that anguish dissolved when I welcomed a beautiful baby girl — my daughter — into the world. Still, with all the hope she brings, I find myself asking, "Where is the moment that calls us to something better?"
Between March 31 and April 1, I heard it. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., stood in the well of the U.S. Senate and spoke for 25 hours. Not to stall, but to revive. Not to obstruct, but to awaken. He reminded us of what the Senate was meant to be — a place where moral clarity and courage rise above partisanship.
Our history is filled with moments when the Senate debated as the country teetered. In 1861, the Crittenden Compromise was rejected by the Senate while the Union dissolved. In 1919, the Senate rejected the League of Nations, and the world marched toward another war. In 1957, the Civil Rights Act was gutted by a jury trial amendment that protected injustice. These weren’t just delays — they were lost chances to meet the moment.
But Booker’s speech was different. It wasn’t noise. It was a signal. It reminded us that resistance isn’t just about fighting bad policy. It’s about pushing back against despair itself. And though we may not hold a Senate seat, we all have our own institution to care for: the people — our neighbors, our kin, our communities.
So for me and my house, let me be clear: Resistance is not silence. Resistance is not surrender. Every battle is to be fought. No battle is too small.
Because bullies don’t back down when you lie down — They take even more.
And enough is enough. This is not a moment. This is a movement. And I’m answering the call.
Christopher Swann, Princeton Park
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Matter of opinion
I just read Andy Shaw’s opinion piece about JB Pritzker, a great argument if the governor decides to run for president. What I found amusing was the Sun-Times' footnote at the bottom: "The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chicago Sun-Times or any of its affiliates." The reason I am amused by this statement is because of the recent change in editorial policy where the newspaper is no longer offering opinions, i.e., editorials, on things going on in the news and our society. So if that is the case, then this tagline is unnecessary — you don’t care to have an opinion, remember?
Kevin Shotsberger, Park Ridge
Supporting Harvard’s resistance
Thank you, Harvard University, for taking a stand for academic freedom. To support Harvard, we made a donation to further the mission of the college and all that it represents. We encourage others to do what they can to support those institutions, businesses and organizations that are willing to fight against the current administration’s bullying tactics.
Earl J. Stone, Deerfield
Trump administration isn’t rooting out antisemitism
Riddle us this: The Trump administration claims it is attempting to fight against antisemitism. What a joke. If it is, where are all of the arrests that have been made of all of the so-called "very fine people" who marched with tiki torches in Charlottesville yelling “Jews will not replace us?” Until these people have been arrested, along with those who belong to neo-Nazi organizations, every statement this administration makes about eradicating antisemitism is an outright lie. Republicans need to put their money where their mouths are. They should learn how to walk it like they talk it.
Barb Minarik, Logan Square
Migrants accused of crimes need to go
Neil Steinberg is always a good read, even when he gets his facts right and his conclusions wrong.
In a recent column, headlined online “Americans don’t water down history to feel better,” he wrote that "sending American residents to inhuman prisons in El Salvador will end with us sending American citizens to inhuman prisons here."
No. The problem here is that for four years, our government essentially invited anybody in the world to come to our country, and they didn’t care who. So thousands came, and, yes, we found that some of them are criminals. Who would have guessed?
Our legal system is unable to give every one of them a lawyer and a court date, so as our border was overwhelmed for four years. So is our deportation system. Honestly, I wouldn’t want anybody to go to one of those prisons, but they simply ran out of places to put them all.
Larry Craig, Wilmette
Young officers should dress the part
When I came on the job with the Chicago Police Department in the early '90s, we had half a mirror in the station. The mirror asked if my appearance commanded respect. Mine did, mustache trimmed, uniform out of the cleaners. Today it’s baseball caps, bleached hair, torn uniforms, piercings and leather. This job has become a joke.
Gerry Callahan, Edison Park
Betrayer in chief
Since King Donald is rewriting American history, let us substitute the name Benedict Arnold, the infamous Revolutionary War traitor, and replace it with America's current traitor, Donald J. Trump.
Mike Levey, Deerfield