#2439 freeform Friday

 I haven't been good at writing this week. To be honest, I'm feeling a little down lately. The happenings in my country is, well, it's a lot. 

I was thinking about February 2016 when Justice Antonin Scalia passed away. President Obama put forth a viable candidate to fill the seat on the Supreme Court but Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, wouldn't give the candidate, Merrick Garland, a hearing in the Senate because, McConnell said, there wasn't enough time to have hearings and confirm the Justice. That was seven or eight months prior to the presidential election. Justice Ginsberg died within 50 days of the presidential election, but miraculously, there is plenty of time to have hearings and confirm a Justice to the Supreme Court. McConnell said as much the day after Ginsberg's death. The hypocrisy is stunning.

This week a grand jury in Louisville ruled that the police officers that killed Breonna Taylor in her home were justified in shooting her because they were fired upon by her boyfriend. Here's the thing though: the officers entered the apartment without knocking, and I don't think they declared that they were police. (Of course there are contradicting statements about all of this.) The boyfriend thought someone was breaking into his home, so he got out his gun to defend himself, Yes, he shot at people he did not realize were police officers. The police fired back and Breonna Taylor was killed.

On Twitter I see people posting that the boyfriend shouldn't have fired his gun. I feel a little confused by these comments. Isn't one of the reasons people have guns is so that can protect themselves from intruders? The boyfriend was a licensed gun owner. I bet there are other people who would fire first and ask questions later. There is something wrong with all of this. 

The presidential election is approaching and damned if that man in the White House isn't sowing the seeds that the results of the election won't be valid and that he won't accept the results (unless he wins, of course).  Why is he saying that stuff? Why does he feel the need to rile people up with words like that?

And the pandemic continues. Over seven million cases in the United States and over 200,000 dead Americans. In Utah today we had the highest number of reported cases in a single day in the state, over 1,400. I believe it is complacency that is driving the numbers. We get bored so easily. It feels like we become immune to the growing numbers shown on the news every night. Many people don't personally know anyone who has been affected by the virus, so it doesn't seem real, maybe. 

I know none of the things I wrote about here have much of an impact in my own little world. My people are fine and I am good. I think back to the days, pre-Twitter, when I didn't really pay attention to the news and was mostly blissfully ignorant of what was happening in the world. Now I am aware and as much as I might want to go back to my ignorance, I can't go back. I can limit my time of Twitter and not read comments on new stories (because usually it's ordinary people who write comments that get me riled up). Any news program I see, with the exception of The Weather Channel, has stories about social unrest and stuff that guy in the White House says and the global pandemic. The different networks may have different takes on all of those things, but it's all out there.  It's all just a lot. 

So...I'll be aware of what is happening in my country, but I will focus on stuff that is good and gives me joy like baseball and basketball and my dog and my family. I am so thankful that I have someone to talk to every couple of weeks. I'm thankful for meditation. I'll continue to try to find joy and gratitude in little things every day and still allow myself to feel anger or sadness over things I don't think are right. 

Whew.

Have a good weekend. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Be nice to people.