My Unhappy New Year in Evanston
Cross-posted at Marathon Pundit.
My nine year-old daughter and I decided to attend Evanston's First Night New Year's Eve celebration. Evanston, IL is a very liberal town--it's the home of Northwestern University. Jan Schakowsky, one of the most liberal members of the House of Representatives, has lived in Evanston for many years. The Chicago suburb turns out huge Democratic majorities each election.
Our first stop for First Night was the Evanston Public Library, where we bought our tickets to the fair. We encountered a table staffed with war protesters from Neighbors for Peace, there they are in the picture below. Visitors to the library had to walk past the protesters' table to purchase First Night tickets.
As I've remarked many times before, leave it to the Left to politicize and ruin everything. Evanston's First Night is billed as a family event, and yes, they have first amendment rights and all, but sheesh, couldn't they have stayed home that night?
Our second stop for my daughter and I was the necklace making workshop--we decided to walk instead of taking one of the many shuttle buses First Night provided as part of the admission fee. Just two blocks into our walk, we encountered more war protesters, this time from the World Can't Wait (Drive Out The Bush Regime) group. This bunch makes the first lot look conservative. World Can't Wait's endorsers include Harold Pinter, Cindy Sheehan, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Ed Asner, the National Lawyers Guild, and bunch of others who live on the far Left of the political spectrum.
This was my third encounter with these radicals in the last three months and I wasn't going to ignore them this time. I ran past (literally) several of their picket spots in October at the Chicago Marathon. They showed up at the Ward Churchill counterprotest at DePaul University a couple of weeks later, although driving out President Bush has nothing to do with DePaul, Ward Churchill, or yes, the Chicago Marathon.
So I should've expected World Can't Wait to show up at First Night. They were handing out their socialism-drenched fliers to kids as young as five. That did it, so I shouted out to them this familiar phrase, "Leave it to you liberals to ruin and politicize everything." There was some back and forth discussion between us, they didn't seem to get my point as this was a family event and a holiday, couldn't they have just let "the cause" rest one night.
"No" was their answer.
Luckily, they left a few minutes later. And to prove they weren't completely useless, the World Can't Wait folks left some green balloons behind, which I quickly snatched for my daughter, as you can see here.
After some father-daughter ice-block building, we decided once again to skip the trolley bus and walk to a church for an acoustic guitar performance by Michael Kelsey. If you like Michael Hedges, you'll love this guy.
Michael's show ended, so we decided to catch a set by legendary Chicago folksters, The Dooleys.
This time we decided to take a trolley bus. We got on, and quickly we were told to get off. A woman in a wheelchair was blocking the vehicle we were on; she was protesting First Night and it's "refusal" (her words) to use buses that are handicapped accessible. There she is down there in blockade mode. Oh, Evanston!
So we walked to see the Dooleys, who performed a mostly Celtic flavored taste of Folk Music. Pretty good stuff.
The evening ended with a mostly impressive fireworks show in Dawes Park on Evanston's lakefront. A few of the fireworks rockets veered off horizontally instead of vertically, but no one was hurt and nothing started on fire.
So that was our First Night at Evanston. But because of the force-fed politics we had to contend with just going from place to place, it'll probably be our last First Night.
Oh, I dedicate this posting to Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker, who says bloggers rarely do their own reporting. Happy New Year, Kathleen! My Mom told me today she likes your writing, though.
34 comments:
You poor thin. You had to actually walk past war protesters.
I sure hope you are OK. It is just so tragic when people who don't share your political views actually have the audacity to go out in public.
Give me a break!!
Let me repeat what I said in my article: "Leave it the Liberals to politicize and ruin everything."
There's a time and place for everything. The protesters should've stayed home.
"Leave it the Liberals to politicize and ruin everything."
Where, on the plane of "politicizing everything" does manufacturing a "War on Christmas" fall?
I don't associate with the arch-left about whom you've written.
But don't you see a pattern developing in the regular manufactured greviences of your posts?
As long as George Bush has us involved in the Iraq war on First Night I don't see why war protesters should stay home. Unfortunately the death toll does not stop for holidays and neither should we - taking our country back has to happen on First Night and everynight, in Evanston and everywhere.
This sounds like a pretty sucky time. Ed Asners got your goat? Damn.
you ran into liberals in Evanston? Wow, that must have thrown you for a loop.
Ruberry, what's with your profile picture at the Pride Parade? I thought you were a conservative crank.
No one's denying the right to protest.
But why is it wrong to question the politicization of everything?
As someone who saw and participated in the same thing in the 60s and 70s, the left should be concerned about it's message getting trivialized and plain old burnout of the leftists.
It's not a wise thing to do. And harms the left more then anyone.
I don't think it is wrong to question to politicization of events but would the poster have been as incensed if the represented parties were of a right/conservative nature.
Let's, for just a moment, accept the argument that those folks were politicizing an ordinary family event.
How come it's only politicizing when someone else does it?
The White House Santa said that he, Santa, was a Republican, isn't that politicizing Christmas?
How about the manufactured "War on Christmas?" If you were able to take the federal holiday off and celebrate with your family and at your church, is there really a war? Isn't THAT politicizing Christmas?
How about the "support our troops" ribbon as wink/nod GOP club logo (though I've certainly seen many dems with them). Or the downstate billboard that says "Freedom isn't free - Elect George Bush" (a non sequitur if ever I've seen one). Aren't THEY politicizing the war?
The point isn't whether or not lefty loons are politicizing an event. They are.
The point is that you're a little too quick to find fault with those you despise, while missing it entirely with those you embrace.
Allah forbid that you ever go to Madison's First Night.
Pat, you are absolutely correct. But this is not simply of the Left side of the aisle, as is implied by MP.
There is plenty of obnoxiousness to go around.
Pride parade? You have a problem with that?
Conservatives know where to stop as far as politicking. In the '60s, the mantra "Everything personal is political" came into being. Noam Chomsky has made his living on that tactic.
"Conservatives know where to stop as far as politicking.
This from a group that politicizes Christmas.
The secularists fired the first shots in that battle, skeeter.
The "skeeter" comment is positively Orwellian.
1)A bizzare left wing fog wants to eliminate Christianity from Holidays.
2)The general public kind of goes along with the foggy left.
3)Some on the right (and parents everywhere) object to the bans on public Christianity.
4) The Skeeter person says protests the politicization of Christmas.
So as long as we go along with Skeeter (and the bizzare secularist fog), we are not politicizing an issue. It is only when one objects, that issues are politicized.
So my lesson? If we all just succumbed to the secular fog, Skeeter will be happy.
JBP
Those damn Secularist!
How dare them try and keep religion in church and science in school.
You two are right. Those bastards must be stopped.
THEOCRACY NOW!
Incidently, do you all realize how much you have in common with the Taliban? You both want religion to control government.
Why exactly are you two fighting?
Keeping religion out of schools in not Orwellian. It is American.
Skeeter,
I am not objecting to keeping religion out of school.
I am objecting to your claim that to object to secularization of holidays is politicizing the issue.
If I think it is OK for my kids to have a Halloween pageant, why shouldn't I object to those who have removed it from my daughter's school?
Your claims that by objecting we are politicizing the issue is the Orwellian part. Why must I submit to your opinion?
JBP
John,
Are you really claiming that dressing up in costumes for Halloween is anything even remotely like Christmas displays and celebrations in school?
Why do you find that confusing?
Let me get this right:
Objecting to a war = Politicizing an issue.
Claiming that government should be more involved in religion = Not politicizing an issue.
If you really believe that the right is not making a political issue out of Christmas, then you and I should talk. You see, I sell bridges and you look like a buyer. I've got some nice ones to show you.
Just a thought - what was that stand doing inside a public library at at a public event?
Just a question, would the free speech types on this blog have the same passion if the stand were anti-abortion instead of anti-war group?
I think not.
Skeeter,
My daughter's school (and many others) banned Halloween as a Christian Holiday (and it does have connections to All Saints and All Souls day), much like Christmas celebrations are banned as they are linked to the birth of Christ.
You continue in your Double Speak fog.
The Left makes a disruptive demand.
Most sensible people object.
The Skeeter demands "Stop objecting-you may disrupt the Perfect Order of The State"
I much prefer the disruptive effect of protest and complaint, to your demand to end politicization of an issue (so that your side wins), however distateful it is to him-haw during Christmastime.
JBP
Thanks, Pat for your comments...As for everyone else, I wrote about 15 paragraphs on this. Not sure how Rich lets someone in as a commenter, but for those who feel so negatively about this, such as Skeeter, write something up, and send it to him. If he says no, I'll put it on Marathon Pundit.
Fourth of July in Evanston. I won't miss it. Nosey Parker going to be there?
The joke is that Halloween is Celtic and pagan in origin.
Say, tell the school about that. Maybe they will let the holiday back into the school now, since it is not "Evil, evil Christian"!
Well, the school also bans Christmas and Easter, which are more widely regarded as Christian.
Given that the Pagans were around long before the Christians in Western Europe, you can pretty much say that the "Pagans were there first" about any day on the calendar.
JBP
Deborah Shore is already supported by the Democratic Party of Evantston even though they make everyone else go through this ridiculos endorsement process. These liberals are so hypocritcal like Jan Schakowsky and her husband the convicted felon Con artist Cramer, they claim liberal and reform yet makes tons of money in questionable ways and claim diversity but try to knock candidates of color off the ballot.
If you are not rich and Jewish you do not matter to this crew.
Larry Suffredin was a big tobacco lobbyist real sleaze.
Anonymous said...
"Just a thought - what was that stand doing inside a public library at at a public event?
Just a question, would the free speech types on this blog have the same passion if the stand were anti-abortion instead of anti-war group?
I think not."
In response:
Actually, the ACLU stands up for many who are wrong and offensive, including the anti-abortion groups. The ACLU stood up for the first amendment rights of Nazis. I do not recall alleged conservatives ever standing up for the rights of people with whom they disagreed.
Get your facts straights.
John said...
"Skeeter,
My daughter's school (and many others) banned Halloween as a Christian Holiday (and it does have connections to All Saints and All Souls day), much like Christmas celebrations are banned as they are linked to the birth of Christ.
You continue in your Double Speak fog.
The Left makes a disruptive demand.
Most sensible people object.
The Skeeter demands "Stop objecting-you may disrupt the Perfect Order of The State"
I much prefer the disruptive effect of protest and complaint, to your demand to end politicization of an issue (so that your side wins), however distateful it is to him-haw during Christmastime."
In response:
First, I find most of your post incoherent, so it is difficult to respond. However, to the extent that I can comprehend your post, I find it unbelievable.
People want to stop public schools from teaching religion, and you are outraged?
It is "disruptive" to say that I want my kids to learn about religion at Mass and not in public school?
Tell me again why you oppose the Taliban. What is it about what they did that offends you? It seems you line up with them on almost all the issues.
Skeeter,
How does a Halloween pageant constitute "teaching religion"?
You are double-speaking the issue again. Education went on for some 200 years, with some degree of success, despite Halloween pageants. Now secularists want to ban them. So anyone who wants to have a grade school Halloween party is now "Taliban".
Perhaps the secularists will ban Kite-Flying next as a distraction on giving glory to the state.
JBP
That sure was easy.
Among the people who were harassed by the FBI was a group called Catholic Workers Group. The ACLU pointed that out:
"The documents released by the ACLU also include FBI observances on supposed Communist leanings of the Catholic Workers Group (CWG). In an e-mail to the counterterrorism unit, an unidentified official wrote, “the Catholic Workers advocated peace with a Christian and semi-communistic ideology.” In another document, an agent writes, “Based on the author’s interpretation of comments made by various CWG protestors, CWG also advocates a communist distribution of resources.”
I win.
Here is another one:
ACLU of Michigan Defends Catholic Man Coerced to Convert to Pentecostal Faith in Drug Rehab Program (12/6/2005)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DETROIT -- After exhausting all avenues in the Michigan courts, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Catholic man who was criminally punished for not completing a Pentecostal drug rehabilitation program.
“This man was punished for insisting on the right to practice Catholicism and refusing conversion to the Pentecostal faith,” said Kary Moss, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director. “The Michigan courts would not acknowledge his First Amendment rights, but we’re confident that the federal court will.”
Twenty-three-year-old Joseph Hanas of Genesee County pled guilty in the Genesee Circuit Court to a charge of marijuana possession in February 2001. He was placed in a “drug court” for non-violent offenders, allowing for a deferred sentence and dismissal of the charges if he successfully completed the Inner City Christian Outreach Residential Program.
Unbeknownst to Hanas when he entered the program, one of the goals of Christian Outreach was to convert him from Catholicism to the Pentecostal faith. He was forced to read the bible for seven hours a day and was tested on Pentecostal principles. The staff also told him that Catholicism was a form of witchcraft and they confiscated both his rosary and Holy Communion prayer book. At one point, the program director told his aunt that he “gave up his right of freedom of religion when he was placed into this program.” Hanas was told that in order to complete the program successfully he would have to proclaim his salvation at the altar and was threatened that if he did not do what the pastor told him to do, he would be “washed of the program and go to prison.”
After seven weeks of receiving no drug treatment whatsoever and being prohibited from attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, Hanas requested placement in a secular drug treatment program. Although a judge acknowledged that Hanas was not being allowed to practice his own religion, and was pressured to convert to the Pentecostal faith, his request was denied.
The judge also acknowledged that Christian Outreach was a religious program rather than a treatment program because there were no drug or alcohol counselors on staff. Nonetheless, the judge determined that Hanas did not satisfactorily complete the program, removed him from the drug court, convicted him and sentenced him to jail for three months and then to boot camp. It was only after his release from boot camp that he finally received drug treatment at a secular residential rehabilitation program.
“I needed help,” said Hanas. “Instead I was forced to practice someone else’s religion and I’m still being punished for that.”
Hanas has sought review for a reversal of his conviction in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. These courts chose not to review the case. However, the federal court will have to address the merits of the ACLU lawsuit filed today, lawyers said. The lawsuit, referred to as a “habeas corpus petition,” seeks a reversal of Hanas’ conviction. Hanas remains on probation in Flint until March 13, 2007.
The ACLU frequently defends the rights of free religious expression for all people. In Michigan, high school officials agreed to stop censoring religious yearbook entries after the ACLU intervened on behalf of a Christian student. In other states, the ACLU has supported the rights of students to distribute Christian literature at school. Recently, the ACLU of Indiana defended the First Amendment rights of a Baptist minister to preach his message on public streets.
Along with Moss, cooperating attorneys Andrew Nickelhoff, Glenn Simmington, Greg Gibbs and ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg are representing Hanas.
If I may throw a turd into the punchbowl here;
If one agrees -on principle- that religion shouldn't be taught in their public schools (as Marathon Pundit and others have stated)...
BUT wants the school to allow a Christmas pagaent. Christmas tree, or the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas..."
Then, aren't you --on principle-- agreeing to simply secularize the term "Christmas?"
Because by constantly insisting that the word "Christmas" be part of every public display, every public utterance, every corporate holiday slogan...the Christmas warriors are doing exactly what they despise...they are secularizing Christmas.
Pat,
Send them to the local ACLU office, with a note of thanks for the efforts.
We live in freedom because we live under the protection of the United States Army and of the American Civil Liberties Union. Both are fighting for all Americans. We need both of them to do the job right.
anon 11:58,
Because Holidays and Religious Life are an integral part of American society, there is no need to make clear distinction between the secular and sacred nature of Holidays. It is only when the radical secularist want to humbug a Holiday that this becomes and issue.
JBP
JBP,
Free speech and ability to wish someone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or a spooky Winter Solstice are part of society too.
But that same society has already secularized and cheapened Christmas. Insisting the word "Christmas" be part of the holidays (rather than simply allowing those who choose to recognize it to do so) has made it a generic word devoid of real meaning.
It only means something to people who choose to allow it to mean something. Who choose to celebrate not just with consumerism, but in a house of worship or with thoughts of what really means. And the First Amendment does and always will protect those people.
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