Chaos, Cruelty and Corruption.

We turned the TV on to watch the parade. I started with Channel 7, a local station, but soon switched to C-Span, where they were showing everything with an announcer and two Army officers giving color. We saw some bands, including one dressed in 18th century outfits. We saw a lot of jeeps and tanks. We saw some paratroopers. It was quite boring and, frankly, I forgot the TV was even on. I know that Trump and Vance both spoke, but I guess we turned it off before they did. What happened? Trump, the great showman,  could not pull off a great show. And, believe it or not, the crowds were bigger at his inaugurations.

Sure seemed like a waste of my money and others’ time.

And yes, it was overshadowed by the murders and assaults in Minnesota. Such a tragedy, and such a potentially dangerous turn if this country becomes like Mexico and every public official knows that their lives are at risk.

Ythey are still looking for this guy, and he may  be able to do more harm before he is found. But he does intrigue me. I don’t know his “motive” for doing what he did, and, according to his hit list, wanting to do more. That only slightly interests me. What really interests me is why a 57 year old man, with a family, whose background apparently showed no criminal activity, who had an interesting career, and so forth, would decide to do this irrespective of motive?Were there things in his background that have yet to come out? Did he suffer from chronic mental illness? Or did something happen that caused him to become something that he wasn’t before?

After the Egyptian native shot up the demonstration in Boulder CO a few weeks ago, even though there was apparently nothing to tie his wife and children into his crime, his entire family was arrested  confined, and threatened with deportation. They can’t deport the family from Minnesota, but are they going to do anything to them without evidence of complicity?  Or, again, are some more equal than others?

And today, of course, is Fathers Day. As someone who generally feels that holidays simply disrupt the routine, my inclination is to ignore. But I can’t do that, so when one of my daughters asked me how I wanted to celebrate this year, I left the plans to her, reminding her only that less is better. Two festivities are on the calendar, one at 11, one at 6.

By the way, two books in process. One, Prophet in a Time of Priests, by then 98 year old Janice Rothschild Blumberg, the story of her great-grandfather, Rabbi Alphabet Browne, and Thirteen Ways of Looking, by Colum McCann. Both worth further discussion.

Meanwhile, in Israel? Gevalt.