...And That's
My OpinionŠ
By Sandy Goldman
The Rogers Park Community
Curmudgeon
Circus!
Circus!
Last week, I went to my favorite Circus!
Not the circus in Decatur, led by
Ringmaster Jesse Jackson, posturing, rhyming and missing the point.
Not Alderman Joe Moore's (49th Ward)
three-ring circus in Rogers Park, which features in the center ring the Rogers
Park Community Action Network (RPCAN) suing to prevent the Department of
Housing and Development (HUD) from selling its foreclosed Peoples Housing
properties North of Howard to developers of affordable condos. In the right
ring the newly formed Forum 49 who originally positioned themselves as
community oriented, but whose focus is now clearly political!! (perhaps with
the tacit approval of some elected officials.) In the left circle (pun
intended) the year 2000's NEW Rogers Park Community Council and its
subsidiary, the Rogers Park Community
Development Corporation (RPCDC) trying to find any kind of focus in the world
of reality in rapidly gentrifying Rogers Park.
No, last week I went to the real Ringling
Brothers Barnum and Bailey 129th presentation of "The Greatest Show on
Earth".
By my count this is the 30th circus my
family has attended. It has become a family tradition - first our children and
then our children's children. We have traveled from the Ampitheatre to the
United Center with Rosemont in between; from the Stockyard Inn to the Como Inn
with a few other restaurants in between.
There are other traditions. We've had
father-son Bear football outings and father-daughter luncheons at Don Roth's Blackhawk
Restaurant on Wabash Avenue. Carol has taken them to Christmas shows: The
Nutcracker and Holiday on Ice.
Nothing has remained the constant family
tradition as has the circus. On one occasion-the retirement performance of
renowned Gunther Gebel Williams-our daughter flew home from Seattle, simply to
be together with us at the circus. Our circus gatherings have been one of the
pillars of our families' foundation.
As I looked around the United Center that
evening, I observed other family units: black white, Hispanic, Asian; parents
with children and grandparents with grandchildren.
It was Scout Day as well. There were
hundreds of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies! All were kept in
tow by nurturing adult leaders and by volunteer parents.
It was then that I wondered "Where
was the family unity of those thugs in Decatur? Where was the adult leadership
which allowed the acceptance of such a thing as three three-year freshman
students? Can you imagine repeating the freshman year of high school three
times and nobody does anything?
Instead of trying to recreate Little
Rock, Selma and other events of the turbulent 60's the Reverend Jackson should
have investigated and examined the family life of these miscreants. Instead of
trying to force the kids into regular school classes, he should have taken the
parents to school-parenting school. Instead of seeking five million dollars for
each of the fighters (a purse worthy of a professional boxer, not a street
fighter) he should have sued the parents! While parents are not responsible for
the actions of their adult children, they are and should be responsible for
their adolescent children. Where were the parents in Decatur? Missing!!!
Here's a rhyme for the Rev. Rhymemaster:
"Lack
of good parental time,
Will
often lead to a life of crime."
...And that's my opinion.
And I'm Sandy Goldman
Send
me your e-mail address or those of others who would be interested and I'll add
them to my rapidly growing distribution list.
To Email Me: smgoldman@ameritech.net