Tuesday, April 11: Another Day in Paradise
Where anybody with a gun can change the trajectory of your life forever
Louisville, KY. Another mass shooting in the only country in the world that allows this type of thing to happen on a regular basis. At least five people were killed in a shooting Monday at an Old National Bank branch in downtown Louisville, and at least nine others were hospitalized.
A 25-year old disgruntled employee at the bank used a rifle and apparently livestreamed the attack, filming the carnage until he was eventually killed by police. News outlets were quick to point out that Connor Sturgeon (white guy) had been a standout basketball player in high school, which is completely irrelevant to the fact that he woke up yesterday and chose to murder his coworkers in cold blood.
At risk of coming off like an infomercial, BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
There was actually another shooting in Louisville yesterday that wasn't related to the bloodshed at the bank, with one person killed and another wounded yesterday morning at Jefferson Community and Technical College. Police said that the shooting happened in front of a building on campus.
Here’s what the animatronic skeleton in the white house had to say about the endless violence:
Once again, our nation mourns after a senseless act of gun violence – Jill and I pray for the lives lost and impacted by today's shooting. Too many Americans are paying for the price of inaction with their lives. When will Republicans in Congress act to protect our communities?
Hope you guys are hungry…for NOTHING! Until these gunmen start targeting politicians (which, let’s be clear, I’m NOT openly advocating for) no action will be taken. Our existence in this country will continue to be a waiting game to see where and how many people are gunned down next and how close to home it will hit.
Side Items
Dalai Lama Creepiness: The supposed spiritual leader finds himself in some hot water this week after video emerged of him being super creepy with a young child. The justifiable source of the backlash is a video that emerged showing the Dilly Dally Dalai kissing a little boy on the mouth and then asking the child to suck on his tongue. Before you ask for more context, ask yourself, what context could possibly make this scenario ok?
Rutgers Faculty Strike: For the first time in the university’s 257-year history, thousands of professors, part-time lecturers and graduate student workers at Rutgers, New Jersey’s flagship university, went on strike yesterday. Union officials decided Sunday night to go on strike, citing a stalemate in contract talks that have been ongoing since the summer. Faculty members voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike last month. Among their requests are an increase in salaries, better job security for adjunct faculty and guaranteed funding for graduate students. Weekly reminder that collective action works
Covid Officially Over: Hurrah, we did it Joe! The national emergency that was put in place to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic ended yesterday as Joey B signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close after three years. Does that mean people won’t keep dying from symptoms suspiciously identical to Covid? Absolutely not. Does it mean companies and institutions will no longer provide as much flexibility to workers dealing with Covid? Yeah, that’s more likely