Last Sunday a man who was born and raised in Chicago asked a few questions for Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel on a Chicago blog. Recent comments by those who administer our city seem to assume that the city government can decide for everyone what are the "values" that must be held by citizens of Chicago. I was born and raised here, and my understanding of being a Chicagoan never included submitting my value system to the government for approval. Must those whose personal values do not conform to those of the government of the day move from the city? Is the City Council going to set up a "Council Committee on Un-Chicagoan Activities" and call those of us who are suspect to appear before it? I would have argued a few days ago that I believe such a move is, if I can borrow a phrase, "un-Chicagoan." The value in question is espousal of "gender-free marriage." Approval of state-sponsored homosexual unions has very quickly become a litmus test for bigotry; and espousing the understanding of...(Read Full Post)