Feel The Burn

 There is this phrase, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention," and it's something that I confess to have rolling around in my head on any given day. I do believe that finding a way to ignore the goings-on outside my window would help me relax. So much of what I see and read and hear piles up on my outrage button. 

For example: There has been a large influx of reportage about mass shootings. This alone would be enough to get my personal dander up, but into that mix someone just has to make the following observation: "Yeah, but now they're defining 'mass shooting' as anytime three or more people are killed." So now it's not just my dander but my entire skeletal system becoming arched and curved as the ignominy of this statement lands with a thud on the pile of unnecessary observations made by the dimmest of wits. As if it were some sort of Olympic event. "In my day, you had to shoot at least half a dozen adults to get your mass shooter badge. I don't even know why they bother counting kids. They're such easy prey." 

That sound you may have just herd was that of the brakes of my patience locking up. Or maybe it was my reaction to six dollar gasoline. Here in Northern California, just a few miles from a vast refinery, we are paying more than a dollar and a half more than most of the rest of the country. Please don't ask me why. I'm certain that my answer would probably not correspond with the party line held by the executives of Shelveronbil. Blame the Russians. That makes the most sense, since they have conveniently positioned themselves as the focal point of evil on the current world stage. 

It almost makes you want to ignore the January 6 hearings. The ones that will once and for all point a finger in the direction of the guy who was impeached twice, allowed all manner of malfeasance and corruption on his watch and was (get ready for it) nearly elected to a second term. As if that weren't enough, he's gearing up to run for that same office again in 2024. With an opportunity to put even more evil nimrods on the Supreme Court and to finally cement the United States as a competitor for a spot in the new and improved Axis of Evil. 

The real test of the notion that ignorance is bliss is the part where you might eventually want to wake up from your self-imposed stupor. "Hey, wait a minute. I don't remember making Mar-A-Logo the nation's capitol. And what's this about firstborn sons?" I suppose it's worth being a little unsettled to be ready in case I need to do something drastic. 

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