He
has too much time on his hands, and we may wind up getting a lot of potentially
hair-brained schemes inflicted upon us as a result!
I’M
REFERRING TO the news accounts circulating this weekend that are being
interpreted by some as evidence that Quinn is considering sending in the
Illinois State Police, and potentially calling out the National Guard, to treat
Chicago as a combat zone in trying to address the problem of urban violence.
I’m
skeptical such an effort would accomplish anything of significance. It might
turn out to be a complete failure! It probably would do little of anything,
except allowing Quinn to claim he tried to act to resolve a problem that is
ongoing and is beyond any simple solution.
It
seems that Quinn, while making an appearance on Saturday in the Little Village
neighborhood, talked about ways in which the state police could offer
assistance to the Chicago Police Department.
“It
has to be done in a coordinated fashion with the local law enforcement, with
their full cooperation,” Quinn told reporter-type people.
WHICH
IS TRUTHFUL enough. Sending in the state police with Chicago P.D. opposition would
likely do little more than create a whole lot of stupid jokes about “Mount-me”
hats.
If
anything, it might just put more uniformed officers in the crossfire that
all-too-often occurs.
I
honestly believe it would do nothing but exacerbate the problem by putting more
of a uniformed presence in the city. You might very well anger up those idiots
with their high-powered weapons even more, and make them want to shoot at even
more targets – as though they’d get a trophy if they could claim they “bagged”
a cop!
Now
I don’t mean to demean the significance of the violent outbursts we have experienced
in Chicago in recent times (although it should be noted that we’re not close to
setting any kind of records for this, and it really does go in cycles).
FOR
ALL THE outcry about the late Thursday shooting incident in the Back of the
Yards neighborhood that left 13 wounded, it should be noted that another eight
individuals suffered assorted gunshot wounds Saturday night and early Sunday.
Those
incidents were actually more typical of the violent weekends we occasionally
experience in Chicago – they were seven different shootings scattered all about
the South and West sides of Chicago.
A
whole lot of senseless incidents that will soon be forgotten.
Which
may be the real tragedy of the violence that is afflicting us. Too much of it occurs
in select parts of Chicago that many of us would just as soon forget; if we
even pay attention to those parts of the city to begin with.
IF
WE WERE serious about wanting to resolve the problem, we’d be trying to figure
out ways to break the culture that allows for life to be so cheap in those
neighborhoods.
Instead,
we get talk about sending in the National Guard – as though we could declare
those parts of Chicago to be “the enemy!” As though we ought to be isolating
those parts of Chicago even more. The real problem is that they have become too
isolated from the mainstream of the city.
 |
| QUINN: Will his better half prevail? |
But
ideas like these may be the harm of letting Quinn run unopposed in the primary
election cycle. He’s going to have time to play “governor” and come up with
ideas and schemes that will make it look as though he is effectively governing
on behalf of the people of Illinois.
So
while four Republicans fight it out amongst themselves for the right to take on
Quinn come November 2014, we’re going to have a governor with the potential for
too much free time to come up with schemes. Let’s just hope his better half
keeps himself from carrying them out.
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