WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH US?

  I know that American history is rife with violence. Violence was part and parcel of its expansion and settlement. Violence was returned upon violence and it was a great step forward when a system of justice and law enforcement was instituted, guns were banned in establishments and to carry around (think of today's push for carry rights!) and mob rule as justice was lessened, though still remained, as we know, in the form of illegal hangings well into the 20th century. Not perfect, flawed in some minor and some terribly major ways, but still, progress.

We thought we could live our lives reassured, safe, in our daily lives and activities. After all, there were laws, right? We were civilized, right? We were advanced, right? Wrong - in so many ways. We thought the awful school shootings were an aberration. We thought the terrorist actions such as the bombing at the Boston Marathon were just that - terrorism from outside enemies and were the exception, rather than the rule, at least here in America. Wrong, so wrong again.

Mass school shootings became almost a common act, shocking, but, well, there it was. We began to grow shells, tsk, tsking at the news, but then moving on. Teddy bears, flowers, tears, candles galore, but well, life goes on and we forgot. We forgot to make stronger rules. We forgot that not all are law abiding or who work under other laws that are generated in their own worlds. And we forgot the everlasting grief of those left behind, bereft of loved ones in the most shocking manner. I mean, life goes on, right?! So wrong, so wrong.

Now look what we have and ask yourself what is the matter with us? Are we some Third World country where the rules of tribalism, clans, blood feuds and more rule the day and society? Are we now a country where if one is irritated over whatever, one picks up some guns, some rifles, some assault weapons and goes out and picks a target? Hatred rules the choices many times, but apparently, groceries, massage parlors, anything and everything is ripe for shootings, for murder, for terror.

And speaking of terror, we apparently have not yet learned, much to our detriment, that there are domestic terrorists and they are on the rise. Despite the fabulists such as Ron Johnson, or Rand Paul, or dangerous idiots like Sidney Powell whose latest defense is that no one of any sensibility would have believed her statements re the 2020 election!! - I kid you not! - it is reality. It is people like her who add to the wild new society we have, where violence, incitement to violence, is not only allowed, but admired. What is the matter with us?

Looking forward to a return to sanity? Do not look forward to it too soon. Not when a chief purveyor of hatred, of lies, of fascist tendencies, Trump himself, plans to set up his own social media platform after finally being banned from others, too little too late, for an inciter of treason and hatred. What will this American society be after the putrid spewings of hatred, of anger, of incitement fill the air and the minds of damaged souls? Not good, to say the least. Perhaps we all need to invest in bullet proof garments if we are to stay safe in daily rounds!

And then, as the cherry on top, perfect in the news of the day, Melania celebrates her son's fifteenth birthday with two black balloons, dripping what - blood, symbolic violence, Goth views? There is something majorly wrong and ugly in that picture!

So what is the matter with us? Can we turn it around? Do we even want to? Are there enough of us to do so? Do we even care, at least until it smacks us right in the face? Cry, the beloved country, especially as we look forward to the lives of our children and grandchildren. Cry for them, unless we take action now. But do we care enough? 

What is the matter with us?