Amidst the Fireworks: You can't tell the firecrackers from the live rounds.

The blog I started yesterday has been ash-canned. I have no desire to write about the Declaration or the Preamble or the Bill of Rights. 

Highland Park, Illinois parade knocked that idea right outta me. 

Someone, for pity's sake, explain how Bobby Crimo III managed to not only get his hands on a high-powered rifle, but managed to take up a sniper's position on a roof where he shot flag waving parade-goers like so many sitting ducks. He calls himself Awake the Rapper and his stuff is seen as pretty violent. The Daily Beast describes him this way:

The 22-year-old Illinois man identified as a person of interest in Monday’s parade massacre is an amateur rapper who posted disturbing videos on his YouTube channel, including a crude animation depicting a gunman being killed by police.

In addition to videos filled with violent imagery and mass-shooting fantasy, Robert “Bobby” Crimo last year posted a video on his personal blog of Central Avenue in Highland Park—the main street of the parade route.

If this guy was already posting this stuff, didn't anyone notice? Probably not. I still wanna know about the gun. Legal? Illegal? Background check? I'm guessing I'm not the only one. 

As a marching band mom, I've been at way too many parades to count. I've got the requisite folding chair in a bag for when I wasn't shadowing our marchers. I've sat curbside with Ziggy and other marching band folks to cheer our kids on. NEVER did I EVER worry some sniper with a high powered rifle was gonna pick us off. Town parades were supposed to be about showing up, cheering for the kids in their way-too-hot uniforms. Hearing bands from all different schools was exciting and fun and everyone cheered for each other. 

It's not supposed to be about death.

Spectators said at first everyone thought firecrackers were being set off; it took people going down to realize these were bullets being fired. I would've thought the same thing. 

This past week SCROTUS went after the EPA. Now it's going after our elections. Meanwhile, someone I consider sane and rational asked if I thought there was an ultra-rich cabal who meet in secret meetings to actually run the country. If there is, I'm certain the head of the NRA is a part of it. SCROTUS also went after tribal sovereignty rights in Oklahoma, overturning a whole lotta precedent there. Now, they are set to take up election law. As per the NYTimes:

The case has the potential to affect many aspects of the 2024 election, including by giving the justices power to influence the presidential race if disputes arise over how state courts interpret state election laws.

Honestly, I don't know how much more of this I can keep writing about. 

July 19th, 2022 will mark my entry into the blogosphere 12 years ago. What started out as a blog about being a widow quickly morphed into something else entirely. 12 years, once a week is about 625 episodes. I thought I was done, but apparently I am not. The votes were overwhelmingly in favor of continuing. 

HOWEVER...and isn't there always a HOWEVER...I will be taking a brief kinda sorta hiatus for the next few weeks while I put together a pitch stack for THE POMEGRANATE. I'll post some of my favorite episodes, maybe a few jokes....and possibly a guest writer. I'll be back at the beginning of August, so not to worry. 

Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

BOGCAATJ!

be of good cheer and all that jazz!