What characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly-contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting, and disingenuous curtain of political theater. And what political theater it is, diabolically Shakespearean at times, full of sound and fury, yet in the end, signifying nothing. Played
Gina Santori, left, an Aurora Public Library benefactor, and Aliya Husain, with two Islamic organizations which seek cultural understanding, share a hug after they were speakers at the Aurora Public Library meeting Wednesday, April 25. See Carter Crane’s article here. Jason Crane/The Voice
This too shall pass! Even though attribution for the above phrase to the Christian bible is only partially true, it is not a direct quote. In our combined secular and religious world, this too shall pass is used to prevail over conflict, difficulty, disappointment, and troubled times. What does not
When my husband and I arrived at the Paramount Theatre Saturday we were greeted by a lively orchestra on stage. Oh gosh, we’re late! Not so! A pre-show jam session was part of the show. A company of 13 actor-musicians performed all roles and served as the on-stage orchestra in
Can it be? Have the last vestiges of Winter finally drifted off to oblivion? Hardly. Hey, this is the Chicago area. We may have snowball fights in July. In spite of that possibility, I’m looking forward to those above-80-degree days when I can take my lawn chair, sunscreen, and a
By Grace Grzanek – April 15 marked three years that Eddie has lived in his memory care nursing facility in southeast Aurora. Not once in those three years has he been offered a fresh tomato, or a fresh carrot, or a fresh mushroom, or a fresh piece of celery or
I cleaned out my office at Aurora’s Santori Library Monday, April 23, after resigning my position as communications manager for the Aurora Public Library the prior day. I took down my sign that says “THINK” in big red letters and packed it up with family photos and my tennis shoes
Grandpa, I am not sure how this scam works. I have been getting phone calls from someone who claims to be an investigator. She is asking questions about my car, how many miles does it have, what kind of repairs have I had done, who drives it. I just keep
By Deena Sherman – One of the hardest working men in Aurora just retired. Mike Goding, second generation owner of Godings Marathon at 1150 Prairie Street, just sold one of my favorite family-owned businesses in Aurora. Those of us who have, for decades, appreciated having an honest mechanic and friend
Is the U.S. government evil? You tell me. This government treats its citizens as faceless statistics and economic units to be bought, sold, bartered, traded, tracked, tortured, and eventually eliminated once they’ve outgrown their usefulness. This government treats human beings as lab rats to be caged, branded, experimented upon, and
Observing Joe Wiegand portray Theodore Roosevelt Saturday, April 14 was informative and fun. As a society we are nearly singularly focused on our presidents in the political realm. One reason is the chief executive sets a tone in word and deed. Wiegand used his one-man show to inform the audience
In another life, I wrote essays for that other newspaper in town (TONIT) as part of a collaboration called “Common Sense.” Then, as now, I followed the dictum of my philosophical godfather, the 18th Century Frenchman, Voltaire, who said, famously: “I have come into this world to comfort the afflicted
By Mayor Richard C. Irvin – Yesterday (Saturday, April 21), I was informed about a display at the Aurora Public Library and the amount of attention it was drawing from the community. Upon reviewing the display, I immediately contacted the chairman of the Aurora Public Library Board of Directors and
John Savage, president, Aurora Public Library Board of Directors, issued the following statement Sunday, April 22: On behalf of the Aurora Public Library Board of Directors and staff members, I sincerely apologize to the community for the offensive display in the library’s exhibit this weekend. Once I became aware of
Grandpa, I hate that all a woman has to do is claim that a man made a lewd or off-color remark and his career is over. I have spent my life looking to always say something complimentary to co-workers, those on the street, just everyone with whom I am in
Let us not mince words. We are living in an age of war profiteers. We are living in an age of scoundrels, liars, brutes, and thugs. Many of them work for the U.S. government. We are living in an age of monsters. Ask Donald Trump. He knows all about monsters.
Ben Schiller of FastCompany expresses his opinion regarding the students who have taken to the streets to protest after the Parkland, Fla. school shooting massacre February 14. “If one good thing has come out of the horror of the Parkland massacre, it’s the sight of young Americans standing up to
Grandpa, How is this for a scam? I placed an ad on Craigslist for a roommate. I got back a text message that said the sender was interested in my ad. She gave me a web address to reply to her. I typed in the goo.gl/MGX23F that she gave me.
The ease with which Americans are prepared to welcome boots on the ground, regional lockdowns, routine invasions of their privacy, and the dismantling of every constitutional right intended to serve as a bulwark against government abuses is beyond unnerving. I am referring at this moment to president Donald Trump’s decision
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been on my stocking-stuffer gift list ever since I can remember. It is interesting reading, economical, and gives both history as well as future prognostications. How is that for a 2018 word of the day? Before I take it to the Goodwill, I will share
