Recently I read that the Senate decided to look into the ethics of members of the Supreme Court. As pleased as I was at this news, I still have serious questions about the recent decisions of the court regarding basic human rights.
As a retired professor of world religions and philosophy, the issue of basic human rights was ever-present. I recall among other sources on my desk was a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment among other things states: “…No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States…”.
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Also, the following from the Declaration of Independence (verbatim): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Further, all of this is grounded by the basic principle of “precedence.” Along with these rich resources on my desk was the invaluable United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This treasured resource listed — and in great detail explained — the specific nature of each of the 30 listed rights.
In conclusion, my question is how could the highest court In the land miss the extensive resources guaranteeing, I believe, our basic human rights?
Hugh T. McElwain, River Forest
Move faster on Illinois roadwork
While stuck in creeping traffic on one of our interstates today, my mind wandered to I-95 in Pennsylvania, where a massive fire destroyed a bridge, it totally collapsed, and within 12 days one of the nation’s busiest highways had been rebuilt and reopened. 12 days!
I have often wondered why, in Illinois, our repair crews are spread out among all our major highways in order to create maximum discomfort, rather than mustering all the people and equipment to attack one project at a time and get the job done in a hurry?
Craig Goldwyn, Brookfield
No rush on sidewalk snow removal
The Chicago City Council moving slowly on proposed plan for sidewalk snow removal is fine. Chicago’s priority should be to reduce crime. Then, when all the city sidewalks are shoveled, it will truly be safe to walk.
Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge
Tuberville trying to take us backwards
In 1964, when I was 15, my family took a driving trip from Chicago to Miami, Florida. We stopped at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, where “You Can See Seven States!” What we could also see were separate water fountains and public bathrooms labeled “Colored” and “White.” Having grown up in the Chicago area, this was my first trip into the South, and I remember thinking, “Is this 1964 or 1864?”
I’ve been asking myself that same question lately in light of comments by Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. He was insisting that “white nationalists” are “just Americans, not racists,” and therefore should not be barred from serving in the military. It reminded me of the torchlight march by white nationalists in Charlottesville in 2017; they were chanting “Jews will not replace us.” Then-President Donald Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.” Comments such as these by Tuberville and Trump attempt to deny the obvious racist beliefs of these white nationalist groups.
It seems like Tuberville, Trump and like-minded people are trying to take us back to 1864. I suspect that, for many, the Civil War is far from over.
Bob Chimis, Elmwood Park
