Opinion

OUR VIEW

The freedom to read

This is a moment when values we see as core to our American democracy are under frontal assault. Freedom to worship. Freedom to vote. Freedom to choose. Freedom to think, to read, to learn real history — not the white supremacist version of our country’s complex, soiled and joyful history.

And the fear-fueled minority being exploited by twisted MAGA leaders are winning battles, for the moment, in way too many places.

But this is our place. Forest Park. And it is beyond gratifying to see key institutions in this small town stand up for values of freedom and expression.

That is why the Forest Park Review is heartened to be part of a partnership this September with the Forest Park Public Library and the Forest Park Arts Alliance to speak up during the national Banned Books Week about the power of ideas and their free expression.

As Tom Holmes reports in today’s Review, the three groups are sponsoring a “Use Your Voice” writing contest for young people and adults. The theme of the contest is “What does your freedom as a reader mean to you?”

Organizers urge you to think about the book that has most shaped your thinking and the author whose works you have turned to for challenge and inspiration.

The details of the contest and its various elements are in the news story. We’d note the Review is looking forward to publishing the top entries in both the youth and adult categories.

As we see public and school libraries elsewhere bend to outrageous and bigoted demands that books — often focused on sexuality and gender, forthright telling of history — be removed from shelves and cut from reading lists, we are so grateful to see the leaders of Forest Park’s vital public library step up and declare that banning books is a small-minded assault on American freedom.

Glad also to see the Arts Alliance, Forest Park’s evolving and growing arts community, stand up to those same forces in the name of artistic freedom.

Welcome to the race

It has not exactly been a secret that John Doss was going to run for mayor in 2023. It has been rumored over several years. We reported the likelihood back in May. And before August closes, Doss will celebrate the news at a campaign event at Doc Ryan’s.

In an interesting interview today with our Igor Studenkov, Doss begins to make his case. He talks up public safety and community development. He starts to create differentiation from Mayor Rory Hoskins who will run for re-election next spring.

There is still time for others to join the race. We’re glad though to see two credible and thoughtful people ready to compete (we trust in a civil manner) for votes. A competitive race for mayor — and, we hope, the village council — is only good for the future of our village.

The need for patient urgency

Farmers can’t make the corn grow faster by pulling on the stalks.

In one of the episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore Show 50 years ago, Ted Baxter and his wife are trying to adopt a baby, and Ted bursts into the newsroom upset because the adoption agency told them they would have to wait nine months before getting a baby.

“Whoever heard,” Ted Baxter complained, “of waiting nine months for a baby?!”

About the same time the Supremes had a hit song with the lyrics:

Mama said you can’t hurry love

No, you just have to wait

She said love don’t come easy

It’s a game of give and take

I was about 12 when McDonald ’s set up shop in Manitowoc. I was so excited because I didn’t have to wait for my burger and fries. When I would go out with my parents for Sunday brunch, the time between making our order and the food actually arriving seemed like two forevers. But under the golden arches, the gratification was immediate.

When Danny Davis was in town last winter he told those attending his meet-and-greet to have patience with the legislative process. In contrast, patience was what the supporters of Kina Collins I talked to had lost. Issues like climate change and gun violence had reached crisis proportions, they argued, making the need for bold action urgent.

Last week the Review reported that the village was going to install two EV (electric vehicle) charging stations in Constitution Court. I suppose Danny Davis supporters would argue, “Great. That’s a good start. Be patient. More grants will be coming. It takes time.”

And I imagine Kina supporters would respond, “Are you kidding?! Only two charging stations! Nowhere near enough. Not enough water out west and too much water in Kentucky. If we don’t take immediate, urgent action in response to climate change — like not waiting for grants and immediately installing charging stations in half the parking spots between Louie’s and Doc Ryan’s — the planet will be inhospitable for our grandchildren!”

In 1965 the Byrds had a hit record of a song Pete Seeger wrote with words that seem prescient:

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend, a time to sew

A time for love, a time for hate

A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.

For everything there is a season. Actually those words were in circulation 2,300 years before Seeger borrowed them: from the Book of Ecclesiastes. So here’s a question: “Is there one season for patience and another season for urgency?” Way back in 1896 a Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, foresaw that humans were capable of changing climate on a global scale. Sixty years later, Roger Revelle found that the ocean would not be able

TOM to absorb all of the CO2 being produced, and Charles Keeling documented annual increases in carbon dioxide levels in HOLMES Ear If th’s atmosphere. we started to respond back then with incremental changes, we would be correct in talking about patience. “A stitch in time,” my grandma told me, “saves nine.” But we didn’t make the small stitches when the damage was small. So now are we in a season that calls for urgency? Look at the Inflation Reduction Act just passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats wanted $555 billion to go toward addressing climate change. What they got was $300 billion. When asked if the glass was half full or half empty, President Biden’s response was an example of what you might call patient urgency. “This bill is far from perfect. It’s a compromise. But it’s often how progress is made. My message to Congress is this: This is the strongest bill you can pass.” When asked the same question, Sen. Schumer replied, “If you’re doing the right thing and you persist, as [my father] put it, God will reward you and you’ll succeed.” Do you believe that? Are you willing to accept incremental progress on issues that seem apocalyptic in their gravity? Is Xi Jinping correct when he says that democracy doesn’t work? The framers of the Constitution intentionally build into the legislative process speed bumps that slow things down, and conservative voters keep electing representatives who slow things down even further. I’m president of my condominium association and I was pastor of a church. Both are democracies in which the people, the real stakeholders, have the final say. I never got all of what I wanted in either one. Before the battle, say military experts, plans are everything. During the battle, plans are nothing. I’ve learned the value of patient urgency. In my small world, half a glass is often a win.

FOREST P ARK REVIEW

Reporter Igor Studenkov Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Michael Romain Senior Editor Bob Uphues Digital Publishing & Technology Manager Briana Higgins Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Li a Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice Big Week Editor James Porter Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Sales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck, Kamil Brady Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Donor Relations Manager/Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

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The summer ew with so much to do

Today is the day many Forest Park parents have been looking forward to. The first day of school.

When we were parents of school-age kids, we couldn’t wait to see them back in school. Sure, summer is great, but by August they’d get a bit restless. Even they were ready to return school. Back then, though, school never started before Labor Day.

School starts earlier every year. This greatly shortens the summer, which is brief enough as it is.

This summer flew by faster than any I can remember. I attribute this mostly to the multitude of fun activities the village offered this year.

Soon after Memorial Day, I secured my pass to the Forest Park Aquatic Center. I tried to go for an hour every day. I liked sitting by the lap lanes, not that I swam many laps. The pool seemed emptier than usual due to the ban on non-residents. Unlike many communities, we had plenty of lifeguards. The Juneteenth Pool Party was another summer highlight.

I attended two block parties. I was invited to join the gang on the 900 block of Lathrop. I also crashed the party on the 1000 block of Beloit. Having lived on that block for 32 years, I felt entitled to attend. But when I got there, I didn’t see a single familiar face. In four short years, there had been almost a complete turnover of residents. It was great to see the return of German Fest. We just had to cross the railroad tracks to get there. Groovin’ in the Grove was equally convenient and we listened to some great cover bands. I became accustomed to walking with a chair and cooler to local concerts. I was fortunate to see Noa Garcia sing at her stoop concert. It was wonderful seeing a 12-year-old singer perform jazz standards.

Besides great music, we also had laughs at the Faux Pas Comedy Shows at Lathrop House. My favorite was a stand-up comedian named Adam Burke from Northern Ireland. He specialized in the kind of dark humor that appeals primarily to the Irish.

We also had laughs at the McGaffer’s Book Club meetings. Instead of focusing on a particular book, we could read any book by Ernest Hemingway. What a great way to run a book club. Next, we get to

choose any biography or autobiography we want to read. Besides all the fests and assorted events, it was great to just sit on the front porch. My wife retired this summer and is surprisingly good at doing nothing. She is also available for trips to the beach, Navy Pier and the Riverwalk. Today, she is on duty to help the grandsons get to school. It wouldn’t be summer, without watchJOHN ing blockbusters at the Lake Theatre. We enjoyed Elvis and Top Gun Maverick. But RICE the most entertaining film we saw was Bullet Train. It had cartoonish violence and ridiculous stunts that kept us laughing for the entire movie. There was also heart-pounding excitement at The Park, during the four-day No Gloves Tournament. We are fortunate to live in a village that organizes so many events. The crowning moment came on Thursday, Aug. 18, when we finally celebrated the 4th of July. The cover band “This End Up” played straight through from 6:30 to the fireworks at 8:30. The crowd grew as the music played. Then we were treated to the kind of in-your-face fireworks, that Forest Park is known for. I was comfortable with my cooler and chair and, unlike the old days, I didn’t have to leave early with a screaming kid.

A L OOK BA CK IN TIME Scrap drive for free icks

The Forest Theater, located at 7526 Madison St. (present-day McDonald’s), hosted a Scrap Drive on Aug. 30, 1951. Children exchanged 5 pounds of scrap metal to attend a free matinee. The theater showed two color cartoons and Johnny Mack Brown in Son of Roaring Dam.

Eli Zuas, manager of the Forest, organized the collection, which brought in 1,500 pounds of scrap for defense purposes. Iroquois Steel & Iron paid for the metal. Money collected was split between the local Boy and Girl Scouts. The Forest Theater opened as Forest Park Theater in the 1920s with vaudeville performances and movies. Its name was shortened to Forest Theater in the 1930s and operated until 1963, when it was deemed unsafe and ordered to be demolished.

Jill Wagner

is image on the cover of the Sept. 6, 1951 Forest Park Review shows local children with scrap metal from attics, yards and alleys, which were exchanged for admission to the Forest eater.