Just watched the 2016 bid for the games LIVE and the press conference afterward. I was real anxious to hear from Michelle Obama because she was born and raised on the southside of Chicago... damn, if you only knew what those words entail...

Barack and I both married a Chicago girl, and then lived this city through their eyes. And then raised children just like our wives.... Chicagoians. And it is an indescribable feeling, to come to this city, to take part in it's diverse cultural strengths, to ride atop those big shoulders, Detroit was the city of mercy, but Chicago is the city that works. You come here and the first thing you think is; jesus, nothing works in this city, but this city grows on you and somehow, it all works.

I was sold by the presentation to the IOC, I didn't think the olympics would work here, but now I believe they would work and they would be a success. They sold me on the technical presentation. I tuned in to see the fire, I wanted to see Daley and the Obamas turn up the heat and singe the IOC with their passion, but in the end, it was all those professional voices in the background, explaining the dynamics and the forwardness of the city, that land has already been purchased to get started on the venues, that a strong coalition of world class Universities has already joined hands throughout the midwest to make these games come off, and that a village situated adjacent to the events, access for the press and diligence that the athletes will have fun and get to enjoy the city as well as be cared for, be safe, and be able to compete to the best of their abilities, and that the world press will be able to broadcast all the events... it was a strong sell.

Most of all, it was the heart of Chicago, the passion of this city; you believe these people when they say they will deliver, they want to deliver, that it means a lot to them. Our president makes a great panel member, he is a good team player, which is no surprise, but it was awesome to see him as a subordinate and loving it.

We don't think of MLK Jr as a Chicagoian, but this is where he brought the movement and this is where he left it... and this what makes Chicago special. It is very international already... it isn't my home town, they didn't riot here like we did in Detroit, they don't go back 400 years like Fort Cadillac detroit, (Fort Cadillac by the river) but Chicago is the city of opportunity, if any place could springboard a black man to the presidency of the United States, it had to be the heart and soul of Chicago; the city of big shoulders... I don't care if Rio gets the games, we will find out 10 AM local time (11 AM fray time)... I cried watching my adopted city make their pitch for the games. It made me appreciate how lucky I am to end up in DuPage County.

while America slept, this was broadcast LIVE on six channels at two and three in the morning in Chicago... ABC, NBC, CBS, msnbc, and FOX cable all were carrying the bid. We have a local channel WGN that also had the News staff in the studio to follow it, even had their reporter on the scene, on the phone running through the press conference facility, he managed to get a personal word from Mayor Daley and Michelle Obama as they entered the building, but the Obamas didn't join the press conference they just passed on through; Barack shouted a few words to the reporters across the room, it was all very personal, very Chicago.

Barack and I both married a Chicago girl

Whatever happened to that girl? Wasn't it awkward, both of you being married to the same girl? Did you both dump her to marry your current wives or did she run off and leave you both crying?

Jack

I was sold by the presentation to the IOC, I didn't think the olympics would work here, but now I believe they would work and they would be a success. They sold me on the technical presentation. I tuned in to see the fire, I wanted to see Daley and the Obamas turn up the heat and singe the IOC with their passion, but in the end, it was all those professional voices in the background, explaining the dynamics and the forwardness of the city, that land has already been purchased to get started on the venues, that a strong coalition of world class Universities has already joined hands throughout the midwest to make these games come off, and that a village situated adjacent to the events, access for the press and diligence that the athletes will have fun and get to enjoy the city as well as be cared for, be safe, and be able to compete to the best of their abilities, and that the world press will be able to broadcast all the events... it was a strong sell.

So I gather you've spend little or no time in or around Chicago.

Had you been following the corruption already present? Did you catch the little land grab by our Asst school superintendent? Purely coincidence I'm sure. I'll bet he sells that lot before the day is out.

Are you aware that our police have been working without a contract for 3 years?

Did you know that 87 Chicago school children have been murdered this year?

You changed your mind because of the presentation?

Good grief man, you're like one of those Imperial guards. These aren't the droids you're looking for. Chicago would be a great choice. Move along.

Rio!

Rio!

Rio!

I was sold by the presentation to the IOC, I didn't think the olympics would work here, but now I believe they would work and they would be a success. They sold me on the technical presentation.

If they put together a moon landing presentaion just as impressive, would you change your mind about that?

was that they could pull off the games... with the help of the entire region.

but this was pure gold....

Good grief man, you're like one of those Imperial guards. These aren't the droids you're looking for. Chicago would be a great choice. Move along.

Rio!

Rio!

Like I've said ... they could have gone to the moon, but the media presentation was faked.

Along those lines; what would be the best way to handle that hoax? If I was doing it, I would send my rocket into outer orbit of the earth, in perfect synch with the moon's orbit so that the rocket was constantly in front of the moon.... then just roll tape and broadcast from the rocket.

Michael Jordan is LIVE on the tv right now, saying he is stunned that we were eliminated from 2016 bid. He makes a wonderful point; he says he thinks Chicago was perfect city for the world to explore... he has two olympic medals.

Now we have to finish that 2000 foot tower to bring home all our wonderful architecture. Chicago really is a spectacular city to walk and take in.

JackD:

No riots in Chicago? I gather you weren't here in '68 when the west side was on fire.

A mere squabble JD.

A minor neighborhood beef.

Kinda like that brief Grant Park disturbance.

outgunned the Detroit police, literally took control of the city away from the government. The mayor asked the state to bring in the state militia and the Panthers outgunned the state militia. That's when the state rolled in the tanks and halftracks and fought an out and out battle that lasted 30 days... as fierce as Anzio was for a month or so. 10 city blocks of 10th Avenue were completely razed, not a single building survived, today we call that Rosa parks Blvd. Chicago didn't riot like we did... when I was nine years old, I saw the endtrails of the Detroit riots.... I saw the destruction. It was a war zone. The 1000 fires we had every Halloween in the 1990's was nothing by comparison. Watts had larger riots, but not as fierce as Detroit.

The state militia won the battle but the Panthers won the war and you better know that the Joe Louis raised clenched fist is the Black Panthers victory statute, cuz we all knew it was. The black community then systematically gunned down white families until they all left, the entire city emptied out, no different than war refugees, and Detroit turned 90% black in population.... in a single decade. Blacks were just one of many minorities in Detroit, but they drove every other minority out of town except the Arab population, which instead grew until Detroit became the 2nd largest Arab city on the planet (Mecca is 1st).

Today, there is no white population to speak of, in Detroit. I can remember once 20 years ago, on eastside Detroit, an 18 year old kid running out of his house and talking with me and I asked him why he was so excited to meet a total stranger... he answered because he had never seen a white person before in his life.