Theresa and I had just finished up destroying some ice cream sundaes at a place called Fleck's Ice Cream in the Villas when we heard Trump had been shot. The incident was only a half hour old but you couldn't tell from the scenes of the various landscapes as we drove home. Back in the day when big news hit the world would pause and it wouldn't be uncommon to see people huddled around any television or radio they could find to hear any updates.
Well, not today. Not during these times. It's either because we've become numb to shootings, either mass or single assignation attempts, have multiple types of news streaming available, or for like many people, they just don't care.
Assassination attempts are not new to this country or for the Office of President of the United States. Four sitting Presidents have been assassinated, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Additionally Ronald Reagan was shot and injured while in office and Theodore Roosevelt and Donald Trump after their terms were up.
Let's be honest. All of our elected officials have "help" writing their speeches. It has been this way for as long as people have been reporting on them. It's the delivery of those speeches that can make the person on the podium seem charismatic and believable, and therefore more trusting. I watched President
Biden's remarks after the shooting and during his address Sunday night. I found him to be credible and sincere. While neither of the potential candidates running for election is November would be my choice I respect the President of the United States and the process by which they are elected. Although, I must admit, from time to time there does some to be some minky-flinky going on all the way around.
From President Biden last night,
As a result of the assassination attempt on President Trump three people were struck by gunfire. Two survived and are now in stable condition but one was pronounced dead at the scene. 50 year old Corey Comperator, from Carver, NY, was killed as he shielded his wife and daughters from the barage of
gunfire directed to Trump. While we have become super judgmental and stereotypical of supporters of political candidates in recent years throwing a blanket over all is just not fair. Yes, there are extremists, trust me I have seen them, that bleed red or blue. I can do without the flags, of course not the American flag, and bumper stickers that are disparaging, especially to a sitting President, that are used as a weapon and a wind up dividing us more than uniting us. Yes, I know it's America and a free country and the 1st Amendment. Recently Theresa and I drove through a 55 and over in Hilton Head (which we plan
on moving into) and as I looked at the houses I couldn't put my finger on what was missing row after row. Then I asked the tour guide, "Where's all the political flags and stuff (BLM, LGBTQIA, DEI, sports teams, etc) ?" "They are not allowed", he said. And you know what, it was a pleasant surprise. And you have to keep your garage doors shut when you're not pulling your car in or out. I loved it all.
Comperatore was 50 years old. Married with two daughters. Loved to fish. God fearing he attended church every Sunday. He was a local firefighter forever and recently served as fire chief. He was an engineer by trade. Is he the guy you judge standing behind Trump on the stage during his rallies? Be careful who you judge. And the same can be said for those that stand behind Biden, or did so for President Obama. Now, while I say you shouldn't judge, there are easy to spot nut-jobs out there from both sides of the aisle, those you can have fun with.
If you are one of the folks out there wishing the kid (shooter) was a better shot or should have taken lessons you are truly a sick f&%k. Jacqueline Warsaw, a staff member for Mississippi Congressmen Bennie Thompson and president of the local NAACP chapter, took to social media to voice her opinion, which she is entitled to. However, just because you have the right to say something doesn't mean others don't have the right to denounce what you said, or in Thompson's case, be fired shortly after her post. And those people are out there.You may be one. You may work with one. Live with one. Or live next to one. As much as Biden and Trump are adversaries and different down to the core of their being, I do not think for a minute that each of them would want the other dead. If you're a conspiracy theorist then maybe this falls right into your mindset. Do each of them want to win, yes. Are both of them playing gutter ball, as politics has now become, yes. But I think, well hope, neither would want the other dead, except maybe by natural causes.
This country is a mess. We're living in a bubble and have become trained on how to think and how to live. I believe the root of it all has been the advances in technology. I beg to go back for a year to having a television with channels, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, house phones (and maybe pagers) instead of cell phones, and no cable television but daily newspapers. I wouldn't know, or care, what people who I don't even know, or care about, are wearing, doing, or eating. Just think about how much time in 2024 you spend on electronics compared to say 1984 or 1994. It's just stupid.
For years there has been a push to "Shop Local". Imagine if we lived that way. Imagine if the people or things we came in direct contact with each day occupied most of our brain energy, with a little space left for national or international thought. We, well I, continue to not live local, and in the moment. I
spend way too much time in front of a screen, a phone, a computer, or television. While I wish I could go back in time no one forces me to comply with the norms of today. No one says I have to have a cell phone, or cable TV, or online banking or automatic bill pay. I don't have to allow for Cookies to be enabled and tempted with ads every time I log on. But after years of being programmed it is hard to break away from societal norms and what is expected of us all. And then there's Amazon. Is it good for us and our country? I really don't know. I wish I could go back to shopping local.
If I had my way all of this would go away, and I guess that would include this blog as well.
I'm glad Trumps okay, RIP to Corey Comperatore, and I hope a speedy recovery to the two other who were shot on Saturday. I'm not into politics and truthfully it all makes me sad that these two are the best and brightest politicians America has to offer its citizens. In my opinion, this failed assassination attempt will only fuel Trump's campaign. If it's Trump vs Biden, Biden doesn't have a chance. I think the only way Democrat's can win this is to quickly put some else on the ticket.....
