False Choices on Evanston's Future

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Wed, 05/21/2008 - 12:19

A frequent rhetorical trick is to oversimplify an issue, and then present to the audience, factfinder, or decisionmaker a false choice, usually with loaded verbiage. Henry Kissinger was a master of the "we have two choices" overdistillation; Donald Rumsfeld would frequently attempt the same thing by re-phrasing a question into an unpalatable option v. what the Administration was doing.

This tack is what one alderman employed in saying Evanston's only option is to "move forward" or else we "slip backward."

ZBA to Take Up Dorm at 1620 Central

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 13:44

On Tue., May 20, at 7:30 PM, in Council chambers at the Civic Center, the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet; the agenda is scheduled to include, under New Business, the proposed National-Louis dormitory at 1620 Central.

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Plan Commissioners Capable of Self-Policing

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 12:08

Over the last couple years I've attended many Plan Commission sessions. Throughout personnel changes I've seen the commissioners, despite the long hours that Chris correctly notes, generally show patience, courtesy, genuine intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to a better Evanston. Personal civility has generally been extended both to the public and to other commissioners.

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Plan Commission Learns from Dysfunctional Council

Submitted by cjernst on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 10:02

While I couldn’t attend last night’s “special” Council meeting on the behavior of the Plan Commission, I have read two very different angles on the meeting from online blogs (I hesitate to call them news). Personally, I am of the opinion that it is the old adage of the pot calling the kettle black. I would urge the Council to carefully look in the mirror before forcing a further setback on a City whose leadership is leaving in droves.

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General Dawes Returns to Evanston

Submitted by cjernst on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 19:38

General Dawes will be returning to his home at 225 Greenwood in Evanston on Thursday May 22 to demand his home be returned to the EHC as he intended when deeding the property to NU. For more information, please visit generaldawesreturns.org.

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