I think this puts it fairly bluntly from Mastodon today. Quoting @rbreich@masto.ai: https://masto.ai/@rbreich/110231678966281124 #retoot

Post by Robert Reich. "RT @RepSummerLee 16 y/o Ralph Yarl was shot in the head for knocking on the wrong door. 20 y/o Kaylin Gillis was shot & killed for pulling into the wrong driveway. 18 y/o Payton Washington was shot after accidentally trying to get in the wrong car. NOTHING about this is normal." Posted on Apr 20, 2023 at 10:45

No, none of this is really all that normal. I understand that the United States of America is one of the more violent nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This situation is more akin to some sort of deeper rot setting in.

Quoting @georgetakei@universeodon.com: https://universeodon.com/@georgetakei/110232443250507724 #retoot

Post by George Takei. "Call me old-fashioned, but you should be able to ring a doorbell, get in the wrong car in a parking lot, or drive down the wrong driveway without getting shot at, injured or killed." Posted on Apr 20, 2023 at 13:59

Yeah, I am that sort of “old-fashioned” as well. Of course, there was another case that was perhaps even more odious in North Carolina. The craziness seems to be escalating.

Going to need to keep a closer eye on developments as the general bckground level of tension rises as we head closer to the 2024 primary season. Analysts have been saying this is going to be ramping up. We’ll see if they’re vindicated, I suppose.