Gangs in Chicago are not new. They have been around since the 1800's. Ever heard of Al Capone, Frank Nitty, the Valentines Day Massacre? Did you know Former Mayor Richard Daley Sr. belonged to a street gang? Illegal booze, gambling, and vice always fueled an underground economy in Chicago as in other communities. Gang affiliation has been a necessary survival tactic for youth in Chicago long before I was born and I have been on this earth almost 3 scores.

The biggest difference between then and now is the lack of jobs in Chicago. I ain't making no excuses but it is no questions that the gangs prey on the youth who have few if any other opportunities. As the author of "Freakonomics" figured out, the average low level corner drug peddler would quickly turn his back on his present trade for a job mopping floors at the University of Chicago.

Mopping floors offers better pay, longer term employment and the job hazards are greatly reduced.

It is easy to blame a single person for the woes and troubles of the big city but it just is not true. The troubles with Chicago are massive and evolved over 50 years to the present.

"And yes, Obama and Valerie Jarrett did rob the poor for their ambitions. They contributed to the fabulous history of slum continuation, that scams millions in fed dollars for upgrading that never happens."

Are you serious?

Having lived in Chicago and the Chicago Area for 30 years, having attended both public and parochial schools (elementary and college), having lived in both the city and the suburban areas, having worked in Chicago starting at the age of 9 years old, there is absolutely no way you can blame President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett or anybody else for the enormous problems facing Chicago.

Chicago started declining in the 1960's. It excelerated in the 1970's with the reccesion and the massive loss of industrial jobs. How can you blame President Obama for something that started in the 1970's.

Get a grip on reality!

@gman129:

gman129, are you speaking from experience or just blowing off unsubstantiated conjecture? Have you even been to Chicago?

Trust me! There has never ever been a shortage of guns in the City of Chicago. If you don't believe me, here is a test for you.

At the stroke of midnight January 1st 2014, go stand on the corner of 47th and State and just listen to the barrage of gun fire. I suggest you equipped yourself with ear plugs and a bullet proof boddy suit.

"are not on any obama socialist program are fleeing the city to districts offering safer and better performing schools."

Don't blame the shrinkage of the student population on Obama. This is happening everywhere especially in big cities. People are having fewer children and the folks who could afford it have always sent their kids to parochial schools.

Those existing public schools were built when Chicago was the "city of big shoulders" with 100s of thousands of jobs in catalog fulfillment, slaughter houses, steel, and manufacturing. Those jobs are gone just as those manufacturing and garment industries jobs left Athens in the 80's.

The city is shrinking as are most cities in the midwest.

Fewer people, fewer schools are required.

THUG?

Thug?

What? No Thug comments?

@grove600:

I got a flat tire yesterday. I think I will blame President Obama.

3 days of rain. I must be President Obama's fault!

Unemployment is dropping and of 250,000 people who recently starting looking for work again, many got hired.....I think I will blame.....no no, I can't blame President Obama for that!

"the Republican told about 100 cheering supporters"

Otherwise known as pinch your nose and vote as not to smell the stench.

"meaning they determined there was not enough evidence for an indictment"

The grand jury spoke. Maybe, just maybe, they were innocent? Impossible, right?

@maddyclare: Pray tell....do explain?

@chicolrj:

I have been there before. I took a couple of old friends over there one Sunday morning. I saw the lady pour that potion and it was clear as a mountain stream water as it swirled in a mason jar.

I've never had a shot of straight moonshine. I raises your blood pressure and will destroys your liver in short order.

But I have taken a shot or two of a mixture called Apple Spice or Apple Pie that they produce up in Johnston County, NC in bulk. It is smooth as silk and taste like ......guess what.....apples. Again one or two toast is enough for me. It will slip up on you.

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/drinks/apple-pie-moonshine-3/

By the way. You were safe at that MLK shot house. I went to high school with the lady's granddaughter. The lady that ran that house didn't take no suggardy, especially anybody interfering with her business.

My grandfather didn't hesitate to pull out his shotgun and had sprayed a few people with bird shot back in the day.

@E.J.: Fortuantely, none of his children particularly consumed alcohol. 5 of them never drank. 3 of them only drank socially.

@catman: There was a smiliar movie starring Robert Mitchum. It was an old B&W movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_Road

@matt1141a: Read again:

"An additional 210,000 people started looking for work in April, and many of them found jobs."

"The number of people who have been unemployed for more than six months dropped 258,000 to 4.4 million. Over the past year, the number of long-term unemployed has declined by 687,000."

Guess what Athenians. Where have you been?

Bootlegging is a long standing Athens - Georgia tradition. It happened all over the state. Bootlegging operations were ignored as long as you were selling the Sheriff's liquor and didn't get caught by the Feds for tax evasion.

How do I know?

From the legendary stories of the corrupt Georgia Sheriffs.

Every heard of the legendary Sheriff Bud Williford of Mitchell County. How about the Sheriff down in McIntosh County in the book "Praying for Sheet Rock"?

Even Raymond Andrews wrote about it in his books. So long as you sold the Sheriff's hooch, you got immunity for arrest and prosecution in Madision, GA.

Testimony here.

My grandfather sold liquor in Athens-Clarke county. Along with farming, he used the proceeds to raise 8 children. He was hooked up with some shady suppliers up in Northeast Georgia around Hambersham County. He was black and they were white but business was business even in the 50's and 60's.

And, his sponsor was the......drum roll......the Sheriff of Clarke County.

There are shot houses all over Athens but fewer now since the Sunday law passed. But don't hate the lady for being an entreprenuer. She ain't doing anything different from the liquor stores, bars, and restuarants in Athens are doing downtown.

And I am willing to bet the bars and restuarants downtown get more police calls in a month than she will ever generate in a life time.

Tybee Island is a great place to visit. It is not as developed nor commercial as other beaches which I think is a good thing. The best time to go is in October after the peak vacation season and the water is still warm.

On the way to the beach is Fort Pulaski. It is staffed by the US Forest service, I think. They have tours of the fort that was uniquely built before the Civil War as one of many forts along the east coast of the US.

I have taken my kids to the fort for a tour when they were young, and later, my nieces and god sons. They thoroughly enjoyed climbing the walls and viewing the landscape. You can see clear to Tybee Island.

Tybee Island and the Savannah Area in general has an abundance of history and is a great place to visit for the kids of Clarke County.

Why isn't he a THUG?

It can happen.

I got arrested once for a stolen purse that was found in my car. I had no knowledge of it. One of 4 people who rode with me to the old Krystal on Baxter St. took the purse out of an unlocked auto from Maryland and stuck the purse under my driver's seat. I and two other people were in the restaurant ordering while it happened.

So let me head this off now. Yes, my car was unlocked also. In 1973, there was no reason to lock your car in August and it is 95 degrees. What is someone going to steal? Your AM radio?

While eating, a motorcyle cop, then two other police cars showed up. I couldn't help but notice one of the two guys riding with me who came into the restaurant late hit the front side door and heading up Baxter street. Apparently some one called the police and reported the theif.

A cop came in and asked whose 64 Chevy Nova was parked outside. I told him it was mine. He asked me to come outside and also asked the person who actually took the purse out of the car to join us.

To my surprised, he reached under the driver's seat to retrieved the stolen purse. We both got arrested and were entertained by the great Mack Sewell, the legendary Athens juvenile officer.

I truly had no knowledge the purse was in my car. I was not present when it was stolen and placed in my car which I explained to the officer and Mack Sewell. I had no credibility as the true theif decided to play the tough guy.

That all changed when his father showed up and told Mack Sewell to lock him up. It was only then that he fessed up and told the truth. I was released but the police took the brand new socket wrench set I'd just bought from Miller's. The only way I could get it back was to bring the receipt from Miller's to the police station.

Being 16 year's old, who keeps receipts? So I went to Miller's and talked to the manager into giving me a receipt.

I learned two lessons that day:

1) Be careful of who you let ride in your car.

2) Keep receipts for purchases of valuable assets. Yes, a socket wrench set was a valuable asset for a 16 year old making $1.85 an hour working 36 hours a week and going to school.

Way to go Damon. If Marv Albert can get a second chance, so can you. Good Luck!

And to all the haters, go to church and pray for your own forgiveness.

@shrapnel:

Most municipalities seek entertainment events. It spawns business, hotel stays, and generates additonal tax revenue which normally is a net gain for the city/county and increases exposure for future events.

The biggest mistake large cities make is not hosting large venues within the center city.

Charlotte learned the hard way by originally building their basketball arena near the airport. Except when there was a game or other event going on, the area was a ghost town.

By rebuilding the Time-Warner arena downtown, it spawned business development, permanent jobs, and along with the expanded Convention Center, attracted very large international conventions. Downtown Charlotte is far from the after hour ghost town it use to be in the 80's. The downtown area is active 24 -7.

There is an Athens native, James (Sweet Baby James) Bazelle - 1975 Clarke Central, who owns a restaurant in downtown Charlotte, The joint is called Mert's on College Ave, 3 blocks from the arena. He has done very well and has greater than 30 long term stable employees. Lunch time or any event at the arena or Panther Stadium generates a line out the door at his restaurant: http://mertscharlotte.com/

The 2012 Democratic National Convention sold out every hotel within a 40 mile radius benefiting not only Charlotte, but surrounding counties and cites as far as Kannapolis, Gastonia, and Fort Mill, SC.

Even Karl Rove and Fox News came to town.

And, before you throw your negative bombs at the DNC, just know that the Republican National Convention is strongly considering Charlotte for its 2016 convention.

The key point here is it is the visitors not the local taxpayers, through restaurant/hotel taxes, who foot the bill and increase revenues for businesses as well as put cash in the pockets of local workers.

I like Robin. I love her spirit and her joy ever since she was an ESPN Sportscaster. She is able to illuminate everyone around her and she is sharp as a razor blade.

What I hate is it appears ABC is exploiting her illness for ratings. I truly believe such health issues should be handled privately.

Get well Robin.

@Oh-brother:

No, this is culture: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-...

@Oh-brother:

I agree with you. Some people need to learn how to act right!

http://douglasville.patch.com/articles/1-in-coma-and-3-arrested-in-villa...

It must be the culture?

Sly of Sly and Family Stone was notorious for not showing, showing up very, very late, and/or being so "stoned" he could not remember the words to the songs. Thus the name "Family Stone".

Anybody remember Cheech and Chong not showing up at the new club on Foundry Street. It turns out that the promoters were scammers. They advertised the appearance, collected the cash, and skipped town.

Cheech and Chong called into the local radio station to apologize to the people of Athens for the scam.

@E.J.:

Perhaps the police know better than you that agitating a large crowd could result in really bad consequences.

I have never been to Orange Crush but based on reading the reports, it is no different than what happens in downtown Athens every Friday and Saturday night and 1/5 of the trash left on a typical Georgia Football weekend.

Top 10 trashiest Beach Parties:

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2012/02/the-10-t...

Notice Orange Crush is missing and it only lasts 1 day.