Nineteen Shootings In Chicago Last Night: Obama's Home Turf, Run By His Former Chief Of Staff

This week, we've been treated to how many millions of words spewed out in the wake of a Missouri congressman sticking his foot in his mouth?

How many hundreds of thousands of indignant words over Mitt Romney suffering his own attack of 'foot-in-mouth' syndrome.

OS not attempting to excuse them, or explain them away. They were simply dumb, thoughtless moments that should not have happened. But neither do they merit the manufactured outrage received.

Where, on the other hand, are the outrage, fear-and-loathing, outcry, rending of garments, beating of breasts, mass marches, etc. over this bit of news from Chicago? 

This is from the BBC, not exactly a right-wing-nut-job outfit, if memory serves:

Nineteen people were shot in seven attacks overnight in Chicago, as the US city's gun violence epidemic continued.

Thirteen of the victims were shot within a half-hour period, including eight in a drive-by shooting on a single street.

Chicago officials have been battling a sharp increase in shootings and homicides, with some elected officials arguing gangs do not fear the police.

The city's murder rate has spiked 29% year-over-year as of this month.

By that time in 2011, 270 people had been killed in the city, according to data complied by the local newspaper RedEye Chicago. In 2012, that number is 348.

It is not the first time this year Chicago has seen a single night of double-digit victims. Over the Memorial Day weekend in May, 12 people were killed, and another 48 were wounded.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has been criticised for eliminating police teams sent to crime hot spots.

Chicago's homicide increase is counter to lowered rates in other major US cities, including New York and Washington.

OS notes, wryly, that the Police Superintendent is called out as being somehow responsible for this.

But, isn't Rahm Emanuel the Mayor? Wasn't he Obama's right-hand man? Isn't Chicago Obama's home-town, from whence he was catapaulted to the White House as the Great Hope for America? didn't he run on the strength of his transformative work on the streets of Chicago?

If the Obama/Emanuel approach to governance is truly effective, should we be seeing at 29% increase, year-over-year, in the murder rate?

How does this bit of news stack up against the verbal gaffes from Missouri and Michigan?  Have we all somehow lost the plot, lost our sense of perspective?

Locally, a state senator truly stepped in it by circulating an offensively hostile email.

Should'na dunnit. Stupid. Thoughtless. No excuse for it.

But he was inquiring into reports of grade-fixing at a state-funded university, and he was, well, pretty upset about it. Again, his actions in response were simply stupid.

But, OS has yet to hear a peep of outrage about the possibility that university officials may well be cooking the academic books, and send the taxpayers the bill.

Not. a. peep.

Have we lost the plot somehow?