priorities...

let me just say right now that this blog will be littered with liberal epithets and CONSISTENT support of most things leftist. that's just me. i despise the political scene of today and find the system as a whole wasteful and dishonest. but i have been (re)inspired by our current president and believe it or not, feel his decision making is straight forward and for the improvement of all lives. i felt the same about bill clinton. i don't give a crap who hid under his desk. JUST PAINT ME BLUE.



but this really got to me...

here is an image from the video that has been circulating the nation of the chicago students that beat derrion albert to death outside of a local community center. a memorial of his death was burned one evening this week. the hatred and desperation and despair is rampant in the south side of chicago daily. it is almost impossible to remind yourself those boys in that picture are just that: boys.

this was from this afternoon after chicago lost the bid for hosting the 2016 olympics to rio de janeiro. this woman looks just as devastated as if a child she knew was in the picture above. and that was over some sports games.

now, i do not have cable. no rabbit ears. no basic tv channels. no fuzzy imprints of a public access channel. i have not had cable for many, many years and i like this. i still watch tv shows and movies, just after they have been out on dvd for a while. i do not miss tv. i do not miss commercials. i get stressed out and grumpy if i watch tv too often. (so, please keep in mind the olympics are not really my thing. but even if i had a tv, i still doubt i would tune for hours of crap that confuses me.)

but i listen to npr for probably 6-7 hours a day. it is always on the radio at my house. and every morning this week i awoke to the president and first lady (and many others) talking about the olympics and their hope to bring the 2016 games to chicago. this made me grumpy. after the week beginning with these horrifying images of brutality and violence...we want to make chicago a stomping ground for excess and traffic? covering everything with multicolored rings as if we are a united and equal world? this is how we will focus on something positive? PSSHAW.

i don't really see how the olympics are what they set out to be anymore. to be the best at many sports a significant amount of money and access is required. i think it was originally intended to unite the world and show talents and excellence. but who can afford that? would having the olympics in chicago give these kids in the south side hope for their futures? i doubt it. would they bust their humps in school and sports to become olympians? not in my opinion. could amazing programs of mentoring, recreation activities and educational opportunities be expanded in the south side with say, the same amount of money that would be gorged into chicago's economic system-an amount say, deserving of olympic proportions? i kinda think it might help.

i strongly believe we must focus on long term solutions...not just another cheap thrill.

as usual, el presidente didn't let me down and he played a major save by sending the attorney general to discuss the incident in chicago. and i am not in any way inferring that he is the sole individual to raise awareness to this violence...he has seen it. he is aware.

but really, the olympics were the bigger headline all week? i'm just saying...priorities.