Jackson opined that "children deserve safe passage to school" while Farrakhan called Derrion Albert "a special young man." Thus far, the president has said only that Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who once led the Chicago Public Schools, will travel to the Windy City "to talk with local officials."

At this point, Chicago is as much a war zone as Afghanistan.  Since it is so much closer to the doorstep of every American's home, renewing law and order there should be an extremely high priority.  Black-on-black crime in particular, largely composed of murderous gang activities, is completely out of control.

Not to specifically blame long-time Chicago residents like Rev. Jackson, Minister Farrakhan or Arne Duncan for not doing more to help make Chicago a safer city, but to date their efforts have had little impact on shifting the crime and violence paradigm. Likewise, the community organization skills of Barack Obama and the remaining Daley Machine's social workers and academics have not improved the lives of those who live in the inner city.

That poll in which 62% of surveyed adults responded that the quality of their kids' lives will not be as good as their own speaks volumes about the condition of our nation.  In large measure, the state of the union is due to the failings of our politicians, educators, social engineers and religious leaders and their fear of advocacy for the values that even recent generations had been allowed to be taught.

Given the president's history, popularity and influence in his adopted home town, flying to Chicago on the overused Air Force One to make a pitch for better behavior there and in all urban American quarters would not be objectionable -- even to critics, like me, of Obama's gratuitous travel.

Even in the absence of an invitation to Derrion Albert's funeral, Obama's nearby presence and an impassioned speech filled with warnings, suggestions and imagery inspired by this young man's violent death would certainly be a more effective way to address Chicago's problems than the PC, legalistic, backroom conferences the USAG and his entourage will be attending.

Simply stated, if parents want the quality of their children's lives to be at least as good as their own, they need to get back to teaching -- and advocating for the teaching in our schools -- of the values that enabled their own parents and grandparents to provide an improved life for them.   Derrion Albert's upbringing somehow enabled him to succeed in the inner city.  His grandfather, Joseph Walker, told WLS-TV that his grandson was a good kid who didn't deserve to die.

Rest in Peace, Derrion Albert.

"He was in Bible class this Tuesday night. Church on Sunday," Mr. Walker said.  "I have no trouble out of my grandson whatsoever. This thing that happened to him is so horrific that we just don't know what we're going to do. We lost a really dear friend in my grandson. He was a blessed child."

Joseph Walker and Madelyn Payne Dunham (Barack Obama's late grandmother) help to make my point about returning to the values of previous generations.

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