Dec 6

Dec 6 The Bitch is Back

Chicago Tourism, Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“I’m a bitch, I’m a bitch, oh, the bitch is back
Stone-cold sober, as a matter of fact
I can bitch, I can bitch ‘cause I’m better than you
It’s the way that I move, the things that I do, oh-oh-oh

I entertain by picking brains
Sell my soul by dropping names
I don’t like those, my God, what’s that?
Oh, it’s full of nasty habits when the bitch gets back
(Oh-oh-oh)”

— Elton John, The Bitch is Back, from Caribou (1974)

Some background and context is necessary before I address the elephant in the room, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Today, volunteers helped unload the “Christmas Tree Ship” docked at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Members of the Boy Scouts moved over 1,200 Christmas trees from the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw to waiting trucks. The trees will eventually find their way into the homes of Chicago-area families who could not otherwise afford a tree.

The journey of the Christmas Tree Ship dates to the late 1800s when Herman Schueneman began transporting Christmas trees from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to Chicago. Eventually, Schueneman purchased 240 acres of land in Northern Michigan, where he established a Christmas tree farm. The trees were transported to Chicago aboard the Rouse Simmons, a large vessel. Sadly, it sank off the Wisconsin coastline on November 23, 1912, the victim of a fierce storm. Schueneman and his crew perished.

The Chicago Christmas Ship Committee revived the tradition 26 years ago. Comprised of members of Chicago’s maritime community, this non-profit organization is “dedicated to the betterment of the Christmas Season for families and children who would not otherwise have an opportunity to afford experience and enjoy the Holiday Season with a fresh cut Christmas tree and warm connections with their local community.”

Today’s ceremony began at 10:00 AM, just after the Christmas trees had been offloaded.

The Ceremony. I didn’t mark the time, but my internal clock told me the ceremony ran about an hour. No surprise: too many people spoke. Many were representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard. Balladeer Lee Murdock opened the ceremony with his song, The Christmas Ship :

Oh Papa come look Oh Mamma can’t you see Here comes the Christmas ship with all the Christmas trees.

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy Glee Club, smartly attired in their dress navy blue peacoats, also performed, singing several nondescript musical selections.

A large Christmas wreath sat on a triangular stand in front of the singers. Toward the end of the ceremony, members of the Coast Guard and Father Mike Enlight accompanied the wreath during a procession. I couldn’t see, but we were told that the helicopter overhead would pick the wreath up, and then drop it in Lake Michigan, memoralizing those who died when the Herman Schueneman sank on that fateful November morning.

Maybe the grey skies and snow-packed surfaces are the reason, but I found the ceremony to be a downer—and that was before Kristi Noem spoke. Not a lot of visible color or joy in the air. Instead, the mood was solemn and dour. How about a band, some elves, and a Santa or two? Maybe hand out a few candy canes. As the ceremony was winding down, I headed to a demonstration opposing Trump’s coming war with Venezuela. Nearing DuSable Lake Shore Drive, I heard the ship’s mournful foghorn sounding elongated blasts. Not exactly upbeat atmospherics.

The Protesters. Passing Lake Point Tower when I first arrived at Navy Pier, I encountered 25 protesters standing in a disorganized line across the street from the Pier’s entrance hall. Several demonstrators held a large banner reading, “Hands Off Chicago.” Others held much smaller signs. I liked the one that read “The Grinch Stole Christmas, But Kristi Noem Stole My Neighbors.” Seasonally appropriate, particularly because some of the lettering had been written using green and red markers. According to news reports, the protesters originally stood toward the front of the area reserved for the ceremony, but CPD moved them back.

The protesters sang what might described as fractured Christmas carols—the word “fractured” being a homage to the old Rocky and Bullwinkle segment, Fractured Fairy Tales. So to the tune of Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum, the group sang:

Oh Donald Trump, Oh Donald Trump You are a major fascist. The immigrants you are targeting Are people we are welcoming. Oh Kristi Noem, Oh Kristi Noem. We are going to fight until we win.

On the bus earlier, I wondered whether the ceremony would be marred by tear gas or violence. Given what has transpired over the last three months at the Broadview ICE Detention Center, I had assumed at least 500 demonstrators would turnout for today’s ceremony. Naturally, I was surprised by the anemic numbers.

Why was the number so low? I don’t track all the Christmas events in Chicago during the holiday season. The anti-Trump forces probably don’t track them, either. I first learned of the ceremony when I read an article late last night in the Chicago Tribune reporting that Noem would be headlining today’s ceremony. Most likely, the organizers kept Noem’s appearance under wraps until the last minute, thereby minimizing the likelihood of an incident that would mar the event.

The Security. Walking toward Navy Pier, I saw the familiar flashing blue lights, signaling that CPD was on the scene. As I neared the dock, the surrounding sidewalks were crawling with CPD officers, members of the U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Marshals. When Noem made her appearance, I noticed several men in plain clothes who most likely were members of Noem’s personal security detail.

Despite the heavy manpower, I was surprised by what I consider to be a major gap in the event’s security. Noem is one of the more visible and controversial members of the Trump Administration, particularly in Chicago given Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz. As I approached the sidewalk leading to the dock, I looked for security checkpoints, assuming I would have to go through a metal detector and have my camera bag inspected. Much to my surprise, there were no security checkpoints. Given the shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington, D.C. last week, as well as the recent assassinations of Charlie Kirk and Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman, the absence of airport-level security at a public event like today’s is puzzling.

Kristi Noem’s Speech. Given the event’s Christmas and charitable themes, Noem’s speech was appropriately anodyne. As the prior speaker finished his remarks, a tall aid to Noem walked up to the podium with a gray folder, and said, “These are the Secretary’s remarks” before setting them on the podium.

Noem then took center stage, delivering a five-minute speech in a flat voice that revealed little emotion. As an important cog in the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant program, Noem probably does not write her own speeches. In delivering this one, she didn’t look like an amateur who simply reads his or her speech while looking down the entire time. Nevertheless, I sensed that she may have read a draft of the speech just once or twice, not internalizing it. By now, she was learned how to read text while maintaining some eye contact with the audience, but her delivery was anything but natural. What a difference teleprompters make, but there were none today.

During her remarks, Noem said,

It [the Christmas Tree Ship] is a beautiful tradition. A wonderful reminder of everything we are about as human beings.

Toward the end of the speech, she noted that the Coast Guard is deployed throughout the world even during the holidays. She specifically referenced those who are stationed in the Caribbean. At that point, I wanted to yell out, “So why aren’t they interdicting the drug boats? Why is Hegseth blowing people up?” But that isn’t my style and I didn’t want to be escorted out by the Secret Service. What is surprising is that no one interrupted Noem. While CPD had moved the protesters away from the event, no measures were in place that would have prevented a lone wolf from slipping into the crowd.

As for Noem, her appearance at the annual Christmas Tree Ship ceremony was an exercise in virtue washing. During the last three months, the country has witnessed the inhumanity being perpetrated on the nation’s streets by the Department of Homeland Security. Most people assumed that during Trump’s second term we would not see a return to the first Trump Administration’s practice of separating young children from their parents. In 2024, Human Rights Watch reported that as many as 1,360 children were never reunited with their parents after Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration during his first term.

The New York Times reported in August of this year that the Trump Administration has regrettably re-instituted the separation policy. Mighty rich that Kristi Noem comes to celebrate the Christmas season in Chicago after her agency has made sure that some children will not celebrate the holiday with their families. I can only wonder whether a few of the trees that were offloaded from the Mackinaw earlier today will be standing in empty houses on Christmas Day.

In Chicago, we have watched Federal authorities recklessly deploy tear gas on multiple occasions outside the Broadview ICE Detention Center. The media has shown footage of Federal agents relishing the violence that they have unnecessarily inflicted on demonstrators and members of the media. The courts have called out these incidents, but as has been well documented, Trump Administration officials sometimes ignore court orders or tell outright lies in court. Why aren’t state attorney licensing agencies sanctioning the lawyers knowingly repeating the Trump Administration’s lies in court or who are ignoring court orders?

I have heard some say that there is a time and place for protest, but that the annual Christmas Tree Ship ceremony is not the time or place. I take issue with that sentiment. Noem has shown anything but goodwill toward her fellow man.

As a country, we can have disagreements over immigration policies. Who and how many people should be admitted? Should asylum be granted? Should the Dreamers be welcomed as full citizens? Should we deport everyone who enters illegally? But no matter how Congress strikes those policy balances, we as a country should not be cruel, particularly when some of our leaders take perverse pleasure in the Trump Administration’s inhumanity. In short, how dare Kristi Noem show up at this ceremony following her October 3, 2025 visit to the Broadview ICE Detention facility? She has no right to expect that her presence during the holiday season offers a temporary reprieve from chants and catcalls.

Notably, no Chicago-area politicians took part in today’s ceremony. In all likelihood, they were not invited given Noem’s presence. If, however, Mayor Brandon Johnson or Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle were invited, they were smart to turn down the invitation. No good could come from speaking truth to power at a Christmas season ceremony. Yet, I would have enjoyed a spirited verbal takedown, like so many of the verbal brawls between family members that will take place around the Christmas tree during the holiday season. Tis the season.

As Noem was speaking, Federal immigration agents were in Elgin, Illinois serving a warrant for the detention of one migrant who was cornered on a rooftop. In keeping with the festive Christmas season, those agents deployed tear gas and pepper spray when 200 people, many of whom reside in the snow-covered suburban neighborhood, blew whistles and shouted at the federal agents. According to the Chicago Tribune, after finally detaining the man, the agents “hurled pepper spray and flash-bang grenades into the crowd.” Nothing like tear gas and flash-bang grenades to commemorate the coming of the Christ child. Bing Crosby never imagined that a White Christmas might mean a cloud of white tear gas hovering above streets lined with Christmas decorations.

The Bitch Is Back. Given Noem’s prior visit to Broadview, when I first saw her, the title of the Elton John song, The Bitch is Back, immediately popped into my head. Sorry, I can’t control how my mind works. I, however, did wonder if I could use the phrase to refer to Noem’s visit. The ‘Politically Correct Crowd” does not like a man calling a woman a bitch. Yet, given the Trump Administration’s stance on wokeness and cancel culture, the use of the term when referencing Noem strikes me as permissible. Turnaround, fair play.

Nevertheless, I asked one of my female photographer buddies about using the reference. According to her, no problem under these circumstances.

And a final note to Kristi Noem. If you think that the gloppy face foundation you use to hide your pores and skin blemishes is working, you are dead wrong. it highlights all the imperfections. The viewfinder and telephoto lens reveals all. Sexist? Nope, Trump’s pores and blemishes are also accentuated with whatever crap he applies to his mug.

Despite using a properly gelled flash, Noem (and Trump’s) skin coloring turns a sickly orange. How’s that for political correctness?

So the Bitch is Back.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]