The recent attacks on those Catholic high school kids who wore MAGA hats while standing up for “Right to Life” in D.C. motivated a retired friend and me to wear our MAGA hats to the Auto Show in Chicago. We wanted to stand in solidarity with those brave kids, for free speech, and out of patriotism for our country and president.
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We knew there was the chance the two of us — “old geezers” — might get hammered, but we felt it was our duty to wear those hats. We were fully prepared to defend each other. What we were not prepared for was the incredibly positive reactions we got! More than 14 people told us “nice hats” and waved. One legal Greek immigrant shook our hands and told us how proud he was to be in America and of our president.
We didn’t get a negative word from anybody all day, though we did get some questionable looks.
The best part came when we were leaving the show. Four Chicago police officers gave us a “thumbs up” and smiled. They understood that we appreciated their service.
Here’s the good news we discovered that day: Men and women of every color are proud Americans who want to stand up and protect the greatest nation in the history of this planet.
Stand strong and united, patriots. While we don’t make the headlines, we are still the majority!
Randy Rossi, Grayslake
Why Lake Shore Drive is crumbling
The emergency closure of a portion of Lake Shore Drive because of a broken bridge presented Chicagoans with a firsthand look at the consequences of our nation’s failure to adequately invest in infrastructure. America’s infrastructure is insufficient, and our representatives in Washington can no longer forsake responsibility when it comes to much-needed maintenance and improvements.
Every day, Americans are harmed by deferred upgrades and investments that result in avoidable, yet dangerous situations. First responders are forced to reroute, delaying services. Businesses are left without customers as detours divert traffic from main roads. Lost revenue and time wasted in traffic will never be recovered. Our infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy.
I urge the Illinois congressional delegation to work in a bipartisan manner with their colleagues and the Trump administration to immediately address the nation’s infrastructure crisis. Further delay is unacceptable to the people of Illinois and the rest of the country.
Brian P. McGuire
President & CEO
Associated Equipment Distributors
Schaumburg
What if there’s no racist intent?
As a practicing Catholic, I feel compelled to speak out against Rev. Michael Pfleger’s letter on Monday in the Sun-Times, in which he writes that the governor and attorney general of Virginia should resign. Does he think that an act performed without the intent of racism is racist? Because I laughed, 50 years ago, at the “Amos and Andy” show, does that make me a racist today? Only a liberal could say that racism and bigotry are in the DNA of America.
Donald Nauyokas, Brighton Park
