Morning Update: 05/10/24
Today is the first official day of practice and qualifying open to the public at IMS. I’d tell you to not bother going and instead spend your money somewhere more deserving, and it bothers me when you don’t listen. Qualifying this afternoon is for tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix. Who the hell is Sonsio? They’re the people who’ve been trying to reach you about your car/home’s extended warranty. It’s an insurance company and they damn sure don’t need your money. You’d be better off putting your premiums in a passbook savings account. I’m sure around 15,000 people will still be there because they have money to burn and no conscience for the rest of the world. It’s sad, really, how little these people give a shit.
It was 50 degrees when I took the dogs out this morning. Temps are on the low side all weekend and there’s a chance of showers every day, mostly in the evening/overnight. I’m looking at the calendar trying to figure out the best time to mow. Looking at the forecast, Sunday would be the best day, but that’s Mother’s Day and I’d rather the kids not be all sweaty when Kat gets home.
Interested in “eating the rich?” Be aware that there’s a showdown coming as the 2017 tax cuts for the super-wealthy are due to expire. I would tell you to contact your legislators but we all know they don’t pay a damn bit of attention because they know you won’t vote them the fuck out as they deserve. The American public is spineless. These tax cuts shouldn’t have happened in the first place and I don’t see any of you shouting out against them.
Oh, and get this: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he doesn’t give a shit if the US doesn’t send bombs for them to drop on Rafah. They’re going to invade and wipe out the border city anyway. This is how much of a bitch Netanyahu is. He doesn’t care how Israelis feel. He doesn’t care how the world sees the conflict. He’s a power-mad authoritarian who is turning history on its ear by engaging in the same form of atrocities against Palestine as the Germans did against Jews a century ago. Anyone who is not supporting a two-state resolution to Gaza is wrong and you’ll never convince me otherwise.
If there is any question that popular music has gotten worse over the past 50 years, here’s the proof. New research suggests that music since the 80s, including all of Taylor Swift’s eras, has become more negative, angrier, and more simple. Perhaps that’s why older music is still preferred by almost everyone with a brain. Or, it could be due to the fact that the world you’ve created is more negative and angrier and the music is reflective of that. Either way, ’70s music still rocks.
Oh, and just in case you’re buying into the claptrap that Elon Musk and other GOP mouthpieces are spewing, no noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections.
I’m in a mood this morning and coffee alone isn’t going to fix it.
Morning Update: 05/14/24
There really is nothing to share about yesterday. The kids went to school. Kat went to work. I went back to bed and stayed there. The most exciting part of the day was the delivery of more cat litter. Most Mondays seem to be this way anymore, especially if we’ve done anything outside the house on Sunday. My body doesn’t seem interested in being active two days in a row. The dogs don’t seem interested in being active on Mondays, either.
It was another violent weekend in Indy and I’m concerned that violence will only increase as it gets warmer. Consider, here are just a few of the local headlines I’m looking at this morning:
There are times I feel as though we’re living in a bad episode of some police procedural television show. Gunning down victims in the street, calling SWAT to a dispute between neighbors, and someone shot to death while sitting in their pickup? Who the fuck does that in real life? Are these cases of, “Oh, I just happen to have this gun handy so I think I’ll use it?” Or is it more “I don’t have any idea how to resolve this conflict so I’m just gonna shoot somebody?” Maybe it’s a case of “I don’t feel that I have any control over the circumstances in my life, so I’m going to make sure someone pays attention to me.”
Overall, nationwide, violent crime has decreased since 2020. Cities significantly larger than Indy have seen violent crime plunge significantly. In cities such as Indy where violence continues to increase, the causes seem to come down to three significant issues:
We can look at these issues because we have data showing the relationship of cause/effect. What we don’t look at, though, is who is behind those causes. Numbers don’t solve problems, people do. If economics is a primary issue in increasing violence, the question needs to be WHO is responsible for that? I can tell you now it’s not a politician. Instead, look at the head of major corporations and retailers in a city. Where are they located? Who are they hiring? How much are they paying? Who is being left out? Start addressing these problems and the economics issue goes away.
The same can be said for education. Why are teachers quitting in frustration? Why are some schools limited in how they can teach while others get to explore new and innovative methods? Why the hell are people with absolutely zero experience in a classroom telling masters-level educators how to teach? Why are students in certain economic zones not getting all the opportunities as students from other areas of town? All these things (and a lot more) factor into failing schools, high drop-out rates, and a large sense of desperation among those who don’t manage to thrive within the system.
Why are some cities unable to recruit new officers? I don’t have information to argue that one. Theoretically, out-of-date policing procedures, low pay, lack of basic safety programs, and insufficient training are what gets called out first. That doesn’t mean those are the only problems. I’m sure there are some who will never consider police work because of its traditional stance against people of color. Complaints of abuse within the ranks are part of what’s keeping more women from both police forces and the military. At the baseline, though, the problems are internal and we have to hold the leaders of those departments responsible for making the necessary changes to both methods and culture.
Brandon’s taking Kat to the rifle range today for her birthday. Kat’s taking her AR15 out for the first time. Her dad gave her the gun when she graduated boot camp and it’s never been fired. She never felt that there was any need or reason to do so. We haven’t even had any ammo for it. But now? I’m glad they’re going. I’m glad she’ll have a response in case things go awry in the neighborhood, and there’s no good reason to think they won’t.
We, you and I, created these problems because we’d rather rally around shallow slogans with no real meaning or understanding the issues, because we try holding politicians responsible for problems that are caused elsewhere, and because, more than anything, all we do is complain rather than become involved in a solution. We are responsible for the society we’ve created. This didn’t happen out of the blue. Aliens are not responsible for this mess. You are. I am. And we’re the only ones who can fix it.
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