This is a response from a woman on my Logan Square email list regarding today's Sun Times article on Tony Serrano (19 year old gang member who shot and killed a 13 year old earlier this week).

 

I call, "Bulls***!"

 

Moving to the city isn't the problem. Not having a job isn't the

problem. Tony Serrano isn't a "victim of the streets" or a victim of

Mwenda Murithi. He's also not an ""an excellent good boy" or a victim

of an un-stable mother.

 

He's a punk with a gun and he needs to pay for his crime. Not be

patted on the head and admonished for his mistake which supposedly

wasn't his fault, then sent to his room.

 

There is the problem right there - no one ever says, "I accept full

responsibility, I was wrong and it's my fault."

 

Tony Serrano wasn't forced to do anything. He exercised a choice, he

made a decision. I'm sure that has a high school graduate with a

allegedly "nice Catholic boy" demeanor Tony could have gone forward in

his life to do anything he wanted. He could have been a doctor,

lawyer, business person.

 

But he did exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to be in a gang.

 

What a waste! A life aspiration to "hang out", "get respect", "have

sex" - wonderful.

 

Guess what - I also hang out, get respect and have sex. I did it

through college. I'm doing it now as an adult. In fact - the amount

of time I spend hanging out, the more respect I achieve in my

community and the more sex I have have exponentially increased each

time I passed a milestone in my life. College, job, marriage. The

straight life isn't so bad.

 

Although while rotting in jail you do get to hang out a lot more than

most of on the outside ever will - I GUARANTEE that I am making way

more money and having way more sex (well - the kind you can have with

consent and that a sample packet of jelly isn't necessary for) than

any gang member.

 

Maybe this is what needs to happen to gang members and potential gang

members. Maybe we need to change the way we market going straight.

You get a TON of SEX and MONEY by being a lawyer, doctor, business

person. Way more SEX and MONEY than you can ever get dealing drugs

and fighting turf wars. And the two or four years that you need to

spend getting the education necessary to achieve all of this really

isn't so bad. As a college student you can hang out quite a bit and

while you might not have as much money as you would like there isn't

much shortage in sex.

 

And it doesn't just benefit the men... I mean boys.

 

Girl gang members and wannabe's hear this, completing your education

and having a career means - more and better shoes. Shoes, purses,

clothes, spas, hair... you name it. The better educated you are, the

better job you can get which translates into ... are you following me

here... hanging out, making more money, having more sex. NOTE - make

that having sex with protection, because having a baby while you are

young and single can push back your goals. Trust me you want those

Gucci pumps sooner rather than later.

 

Come on. Just exactly how much time are you spending hanging out,

making money and having sex if you're constantly looking over your

shoulder for cops with guns or rivals with guns. You're not having as

much fun as I am. Trust me.

 

Gangs, gang members and the people who make excuses for them make me sick.

 

The Sun Times article can be found here --> LINK

She's a feisty one.

Come on. Doesn't she know how difficult life on the streets can be? These kids have no choice. Their communities give them no hope. The government gives them no assistance. This is the life they were all born to live thanks to our greedy society.

Come on. Doesn't she know how difficult life on the streets can be? These kids have no choice. Their communities give them no hope. The government gives them no assistance. This is the life they were all born to live thanks to our greedy society.

 

 

I sure hope that was sarcasm that I read, there, Jenks. I know it sounds very cliche', but where there's a will, there's a way. EVERY person has the opportunity to make a better life for themselves in this country. They just have to want it, and be willing to work hard for it...legally.

 

In my area, the "system" seems to recycle those families who don't have the drive or desire to do more for themselves right back into the "system". Very few have the drive and desire to make it out, but those that do are phenomenal individuals who give a tremendous amount back, and try to make a difference in the lives of others in an effort to change the "system".

I sure hope that was sarcasm that I read, there, Jenks. I know it sounds very cliche', but where there's a will, there's a way. EVERY person has the opportunity to make a better life for themselves in this country. They just have to want it, and be willing to work hard for it...legally.

 

In my area, the "system" seems to recycle those families who don't have the drive or desire to do more for themselves right back into the "system". Very few have the drive and desire to make it out, but those that do are phenomenal individuals who give a tremendous amount back, and try to make a difference in the lives of others in an effort to change the "system".

 

The green type color is meant to indicate sarcasm on this site... I know we almost need a Soxtalk for Dummies guidebook to understand this place sometimes...

That woman sure wants everyone to know that she has a lot of sex.

 

Can I be on your mailing list so I can write her sometime?

 

(She's right, of course.)

 

(About gangs.)

I sure hope that was sarcasm that I read, there, Jenks. I know it sounds very cliche', but where there's a will, there's a way. EVERY person has the opportunity to make a better life for themselves in this country. They just have to want it, and be willing to work hard for it...legally.

 

In my area, the "system" seems to recycle those families who don't have the drive or desire to do more for themselves right back into the "system". Very few have the drive and desire to make it out, but those that do are phenomenal individuals who give a tremendous amount back, and try to make a difference in the lives of others in an effort to change the "system".

 

 

Lol, yeah my bad. Definitely sarcasm. I was going to write a big "NOT!" at the end, but didn't want to offend those that actually think that way (at least not seriously). There are a few of them on this board.

I'll have to remember to negotiate the amount of sex I get along with the number of vacation days if/when a new contract is proposed to me next week.