Obama was AWOL in IL Senate while Chicago murder rate skyrocketed

By Ethel C. Fenig

The tragedy of the double murder of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother in Chicago, plus the abduction of her young nephew, is highlighted on the Drudge Report

UPDATE: Jennifer Hudson's mom, brother shot dead...

Suspect in custody...

Chicago: Murder capital of USA...

This also reveals a dirty secret of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama's (D-IL) hometown - it is the murder capital of the country.

No, not Washington, DC or Detroit, or Los Angeles, or even big, bad NY but Chicago leads the nation in murders:

The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that Chicago, with 426 murders through Tuesday, is outpacing New York and L.A. in murders this year. New York recorded 417 murders, while L.A. had 302.

Perhaps too embarrassed to admit the depth of the problem the paper neglects to mention the population of these cities; when this is factored in, not only does Chicago lead the nation in the number of absolute murders it zooms upward out of all proportion in murders per capita. According to the US Census Bureau New York's population is 8,214,426; Los Angeles' 3,849,378 while Chicago has 2,833,321people.

Why all the murders? According to Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, formerly with the FBI,

...blamed the nearly 15 percent increase in homicides, in part, Chicago’s 75 gangs and 75,000 gang members.

Now here is another dirty Chicago secret that the media won't tell you: Most of the murders and murderers in Chicago and most of the gang members in the city live in the neighborhoods where Obama was community organizer and/or represented in Illinois' legislature -- where he consistently voted present before moving on to the US Senate. Most of the gangs and gang members are either black or Hispanic, and they're killing each other, plus any innocent victims in their paths.

Why in this city and not the others?

Although the Hudson murders appear to be a case of domestic violence or a matter of personal relations, as are many others, the city also has many gang murders. After each incident there are anti violence marches, usually led by neighborhood ministers, asking for stricter gun control. Chicago has anti gun ordinances; guns are totally banned. This hasn't stopped the killing as most of the murders in Chicago are gun related as was the case with the Hudson family.

A popular chain e mail, Chicago War Zone Information, sloshing around Chicago informs the reader

Body count. In the last six months 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago, 221 killed in Iraq.

Sens. Barack Obama & Dick Durbin, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Gov. Rod Blogojevich, House leader Mike Madigan, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, Mayor Richard Daley. . . . our leadership in Illinois. . . . all Democrats. Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago (a lot of good gun control does, huh?). Of course they're all blaming each other. Can't blame Republicans, there aren't any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country. Cook County (Chicago) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look'em up if you want). Chicago school system one of the worst in country. This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois. He's gonna 'fix' Washington politics? Give me a break!!!

Soon Chicago's dirty secrets won't be so secret. Will this type of leadership soon poison the country also?

Rick Moran adds:

Obama supported efforts by Bill Ayers and others to change the criminal code in Illinois to prevent trying juveniles as adults. Since many gang murders are committed by kids under the age of 17, such a change would have put most of these vicious killers in the juvenile court system where the chances were good that they would have been released shortly after reaching their 21st birthday.