LETTERS: Move Roman column, a gift from Mussolini

The main concern should not be with Italo Balbo and the fact that Balbo Drive is named after him because the greater outrage is the historical Roman column in Burnham, which was given by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

If one looks closely at the inscription on the column, one can still see Mussolini’s name engraved on it. Even worse, it is located within sight of a memorial dedicated to members of the Chicago Police Department who died while on duty.

Due to its historical importance, the column should be consigned to a museum far away from this sacred spot honoring those who were dedicated to serving and protecting the people of Chicago.

Larry Vigon, Jefferson Park

Trump — a wannabe practitioner of fascism

Toward the end of her otherwise insightful column about President Donald Trump’s embrace of despicable right wing extremists in today’s Sun-Times, S.E. Cupp wrote, “I doubt Trump is sympathetic to fascism.” Really?

He has established a “voter fraud” panel predestined to keep minorities from voting, his Justice Department has subpoenaed a website seeking the identities of every person who sought information on Inauguration Day protests, he has threatened to try and amend the freedom of the press clause of the First Amendment, he uses Twitter to act his own big lie Joseph Goebbels, and he has sung the praises of autocratic dictators such as Putin, Erdogan and Duterte.

Trump is more than sympathetic to fascism — he’s a wannabe practitioner.

Joel Ostrow Deerfield

Glimmer of hope

Jesse Jackson’s Aug. 15 column, “After Charlottesville, Push for Real Reforms,” provided a glimmer of hope on a day that the president’s news conference spewed hatred and misinformation. Jackson’s column spoke of many who sacrificed for the civil rights of others in the past, while the President gave a current name to such folks, “the alt-left.” Presumably Mr. Trump was trying to portray anyone who protests the status quo as violent. Jackson’s column advocated the spreading of the right to vote, while the President condemned reporters who report on voter suppression as “fake.”

Jackson’s column suggested that we have made real progress in race relations since slavery. The president’s news conference was praised by David Duke, a KKK leader. Jackson’s column had a strong sense of history, while the president seemed to forget even recent events dealing with justice or the bill of rights. How ironic that those who stood up peacefully against the evils of Neo-Nazism organized themselves on the University of Virginia campus built by Thomas Jefferson, a man who forever immortalized the rights of man. We always have had hate groups in America. This is the first time that such groups put an object of their admiration in the highest office in the land.

Jan Goldberg, Riverside

Cash grab

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle claiming the penny-an-ounce sugary drink tax is really a health issue is disingenuous. It’s all about the cash grab. Besides, when did Preckwinkle become the surgeon general of Cook County?

Walter Brzeski, Irving Woods

What has Trump accomplished?

Donald Trump has accomplished what? Has he done anything nice or good? Has he spoken gently on any subject?

Edwina Jackson, Longwood Manor

Ridiculous verbiage

Thanks so much for your consistent and utterly ridiculous anti-Trump verbiage, but despite your efforts we who voted for him in overwhelming numbers continue to support his efforts. Your outrage over his reaction to the Charlottesville confrontation fails to note that a few years ago President Barack Obama never condemned Michael Brown, even when a grand jury exonerated the police officer of any wrongdoing.

Gregg Soligo, Tinley Park