On Christmas Eve, I read the late Mike Royko’s “Mary and Joe, Chicago style” column reprinted in the Sun-Times Opinion pages. It was a tome I read many times before. But this time it was different.
By the time I finished reading, I had a tear in my eye. I read it in the light of today. Two immigrants fleeing tyranny, hoping for a new life in a safe environment, only to face new tyranny. The original Mary and Joe escaped to a new life. But what of today’s Mary and Joe?
Bernie Biernacki, Aurora
Neighbor’s gesture a reminder to be patient and kind
To be honest, I have not always been kind to a woman in my building. I am annoyed with her slowness in getting on and off the elevator. I have to strain to understand her broken English. Her constant chattering seems a total waste of time, and for the life of me, I can’t fathom why others appear to enjoy it.
Just before Christmas, her sister made her an extraordinary necklace, which she was ecstatic to show me. I have to admit, this piece of jewelry, not made with any precious gems, has to be one of the most beautiful necklaces I have ever seen. I praised it to the heavens, and my “friend” was just delighted.
On Christmas Eve, I heard a soft knock on my door just as I was getting ready to go to bed. It was none other than my above-mentioned friend. With a huge smile, she held out the necklace to me and said, “Please take this. It’s my Christmas present to you.” She was not about to take no for an answer.
After I thanked my visitor with a sincere hug and gently closed my door, it became abundantly clear what my New Year’s resolution has to be: Get a grip on the virtue of patience and treat everyone with the respect they deserve. Everyone, absolutely everyone, bears a gift of some kind.
Kathleen Melia, Niles
Trump’s unacceptable discourse
In my three-plus decades as a Chicago journalist covering politics, I found debates healthy, disagreements normal and criticism part of the territory, whether the verbal combatants were running for an office or serving in one.
Passionate arguments and agreeable disagreements often led to better solutions, or at least partial ones.
But for President Donald Trump, disagreement isn’t just disagreement — it’s blasphemy or even treason.
Dissent isn’t democratic — it’s disloyalty. And anyone who criticizes him, his actions or simply declines to worship at his MAGA altar is a mortal enemy deserving of a vicious, personal attack.
We’ve seen insults hurled like grenades on social media; bizarre, sophomoric nicknames like “Crooked Hillary,” “Ron DeSanctimonious,” “Sleepy Joe,” “Deranged Jack Smith”; vile threats against judges, prosecutors, journalists, political opponents and even former staffers who worked closely with him before daring to critique their experience.
His latest vitriolic social media post about the murder of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, a fierce Trump critic, was a new, toxic low that defies logical explanation.
Opining as if Reiner deserved his brutal fate, allegedly at the hands of his own son, for aggressively criticizing the president, is cravenly incomprehensible. This isn’t politics as usual. It’s not even dirty politics. It’s vile, unacceptable scorched-earth beyond-words nastiness that’s poisoning the well of civil discourse. It’s dangerous, and it encourages violence.
Ask the Georgia election workers who were falsely accused of 2020 ballot fraud and then harassed, threatened and forced into hiding by Trump’s acolytes.
Or the FBI agents targeted after their Mar-a-Lago documents search.
Or the family of the Manhattan judge in Trump’s hush money case who needed protection after the verdict.
Or former Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to go along with Trump’s unconstitutional election nullification scheme on infamous Jan. 6, 2021, and had a mob chanting “Hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the Capitol.
Ask Trump himself, who survived two assassination attempts. And followers of GOP activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who didn’t.
This isn’t politics. It’s a cult of personality built on grievance, vengeance and intimidation. And it’s unacceptable.
We can’t restore civility overnight, especially with Trump in office for another three-plus years, but it’s time to start replacing the politics of personal destruction with competition based on facts, decency and mutual respect.
Andy Shaw, former president and CEO, Better Government Association
Combs, unlike other predators, faces the music
The Sean Combs Netflix documentary columnist Natalie Moore wrote her latest piece on simply tells the age-old story of the celebrity, politician and multi-millionaire believing that they are bulletproof. They exact whatever they desire from people through power, money, abuse and threat of banning from their entourage.
Tragically, the self-anointed infallible often victimizes women who may not have the same influence within a particular industry of power and wealth. The victims are ignored, bought off and generally treated as disposable.
We are all aware of present-day predators who are never held accountable for their despicable behavior. It is refreshing that Diddy had to face a reckoning.
Terry Takash, Western Springs
Honoring Lori Healey
With absolutely no disrespect to the people or the families of the 11 people highlighted in Mitch Dudek’s recent story on noteworthy Chicagoans we lost in 2025, Lori Healey certainly should’ve been included.
As the former McPier CEO, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s chief of staff, Chicago’s Planning and Development commissioner, head of Chicago’s Olympic bid and most recently, head of construction of the Obama Presidential Center, Lori’s impact on Chicago was significant.
Her legacy will live on through the many people she touched in her brief life or the major projects and initiatives she oversaw in her public and private lives.
Donovan Pepper, Oak Park