NEWFANE — In an ironic way, as horrible as it was, the Fourth of July shooting was the perfect illustration of the United States of America in 2022. This is the America we live in. This is the one that has been created by decades of inaction around weapons of war available to the sickest minds among us.
The America we may fantasize about is gone. Maybe it was never there, but once it was closer to that idyllic image than what we have now.
When we were kids, no one ever had to think about their safety at a Fourth of July parade. We thought about how to get a good seat to watch the high school band and wave to the Cub Scouts, laugh at the floats, and cheer the military when they, looking so wonderful in their uniforms, marched by. Those days did once exist, but now they are over.
Mitt Romney recently wrote a piece about America being in denial. He claimed that it was a matter of failed leadership. He said Biden was a nice guy, but he lacked the understanding that was needed. The day after the Fourth of July shooting, Mitch McConnell said that the shooting confirmed his idea that mental health is the real issue.
Talk about denial. Mitt needs to look to his own party to see the chronic epitome of denial.
Mitt, here's the thing: Leadership doesn't work if the leader has inadequate power. Most Americans agree with Biden on issues of gun safety regulations, are pro-choice, care about the environment, and want a safe and secure country. But agreement with Biden, which is one aspect of leadership, is irrelevant if you don't have the power to put in place the policies most people want.
Mitt, have you noticed whose party is trying to limit voting? Show your leadership. Strike up the band, and lead your party to embracing democratic rule. Stop the gamesmanship.
And I am sad beyond words that the America I once knew is over. That the underlying political structure of this country thwarts true democracy. That the majority doesn't rule, and so we have more guns and fewer rights. And furthermore, that now, every holiday is a platform for the next shooters to try to outdo the last ones with more body count, more notoriety, and more guns.
This insight is simple pattern recognition. Sad beyond words.