Let the Healing Begin

[READER]( I may have to sort of apologize to Brian Urlacher, the Hall-of-Fame linebacker for the Bears. I may have [called him a right-wing windbag](. Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what I called him. This was in the aftermath of the Kenosha riots when Urlacher liked a post that said Kyle Rittenhouse—who killed two people—should be freed. And wrote something really racist on Instagram about NBA players. This came after Urlacher shamelessly sucked up to Trump, tweeting: “Got to hang in the Oval Office with President Trump and my family. He could not have been any nicer or accommodating to all of us.” Now it seems like it all may have been part of a devious performance piece of pandering to curry favor with Trump so the president would pardon Casey Urlacher, Brian’s younger brother, who’d been indicted on federal charges involving some gambling scam. That’s my theory. And [Eric Zorn’s](. And if a columnist for the Tribune and the Reader agree on something, it must be true. So Urlacher’s bat-shit crazy, right-wing commentary may have been nothing more than a pose for Trump. If so, give that man an Oscar! Trump pardoned Casey Urlacher just before heading out the White House door. Clearly Urlacher learned a thing or two from Blago, who sucked up to Trump so much that Trump commuted the former governor’s sentence. I don’t think anything shows Trump’s control over MAGA quite like the Blago pardon. In one fell swoop, Trump turned Blago into a GOP folk hero. Now Blago’s a MAGA favorite in Illinois—right up there with state senator Darren “I don’t wear masks” Bailey, Congresswoman Mary “[Hitler was right]( Miller, and the aforementioned Kyle Rittenhouse. Heckuva party you got there, Republicans. So, Mr. Urlacher, if you were only sucking up to Trump to win a pardon for your brother—and you don’t really believe the stupid things you said—I’m sorry for calling you a right-wing windbag. That’s what you call a conditional apology. Obviously, I’ve learned a thing or two from MAGA “if I’ve offended anyone” apologies. Just to be clear—under no circumstances am I apologizing to the people who run the Bears. I believe I may have called them dumbass bigots for having drafted Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the 2017 draft. Many Bears fans feel compelled to defend team management from my racism charge. My old pal Steve the ad salesman says it wouldn’t really matter which quarterback the Bears drafted. ’Cause the Bears’s system is so toxic that Mahomes would have been as mediocre as Trubisky had the Bears drafted him. I guess it’s more defensible to root for a team run by imbeciles as opposed to one run by bigots. In any event, I won’t forgive the Bears unless they manage to pull off a trade with Houston for Watson. In which case, let the healing begin . . . Sincerely, [Kerry Reid]( on UrbanTheater Company . . [Maya Dukmasova]( on eviction court . . . [Ben Joravsky]( on John Catanzara of the FOP . . [Sue Ontiveros]( on local and national struggles . . . [Gregory Pratt]( on the fight to save the Tribune . . . [Rummana Hussain]( on Biden, Kamala, and Bernie’s mittens . . . [Self-pity party]( John Catanzara’s “apology” is classic MAGA—deflection, projection, and media bashing. By [Ben Joravsky]( [@bennyjshow]( [Tim Samuelson may be retiring, but he's not history yet]( Chicago's first and only cultural historian goes on emeritus status, but there's plenty of work ahead of him. By [Deanna Isaacs]( [@deannaisaacs]( [Eviction court judge slams moratorium as ‘utter idiocy.’]( It’s not on the record. Cook County let eviction court go unrecorded for six months. By [Maya Dukmasova]( [@mdoukmas]( [Issue of Jan 21 - Feb 3, 2021 Vol. 50, No. 9]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) 1971 Chicagoans have relied on the Reader for trusted alternative coverage of our city. The Chicago Reader is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization which means our survival is in your hands. In order to continue to be your trusted alternative voice of Chicago, we need your help. If you can donate just $5 today, we can show the world that community funded, independent journalism is the future. [DONATE TODAY!]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2021 Chicago Reader Store, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Chicago Reader Store Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader Store 2930 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL 60616 [Add us to your address book](