What A Deal

The post I saw on my friend's Twitter feed read, #blackfridaysdon'tmatter. It struck a chord with me because I still can't make myself jump out of bed the day after Thanksgiving and participate in the capitalist circus that has become endemic in our American way of life. There are so many more people and things that take precedence for me over shopping. I understand that saving money is the point, and that having a choice is what makes this so quintessentially Estados Unidos. I understand that not buying anything on Black Friday will not make any sort of dent in the projected bottom line of Target, or any other retailer. It's my personal decision not to play along.
And there are a lot of things that matter. Black lives, for example. Lives, for another in a more inclusive sort of way. That is why I paused when I wandered into my son's room, occupied for the moment by our son who was back for a few days. He looked at me with a pained expression: "Active shooter," were the words that he spoke. Suddenly, lives were in danger. On Black Friday. Not because of a riot that commenced over doors opening late or a fight over that last fifty-nine dollar HDTV. Because of Planned Parenthood.
In Colorado Springs, just before noon, a gunman entered the clinic firing a high-powered rifle as he went. Law enforcement responded, and four officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire along with bystanders who can only be described as innocent. Innocent from the standpoint of rational folks who choose to voice their opinions in ways that don't involve high powered rifles. The irony of shooting at people to show your aversion to killing those who may or may not be born is one of the things that seems to have been missed by this gunman. Add to that the savings he ignored by picking this particular day for his rampage.
Coincidence? Sure, it could have been that this guy was planning on carrying out his ugly little plan last week, on a Wednesday. He forgot that he had a dentist appointment. Had to reschedule. He had to reschedule in order to make his own horribly misguided point on a day only slightly more galling than Thanksgiving. Had to kill a cop and some innocent bystanders to illustrate my feelings on the sanctity of all life. Radical Muslims are terrorists. What do we call Radical Christians? Black Friday, indeed.