The United States is in serious trouble. We have allowed money and marketing to warp our perspectives, to the point that it may be too late to undo the damage. Big corporations pay lobbyists, who donate to and bend the ear of politicians, who use that money to get elected, and create legislation favorable to the corporations.

That's not exactly "news", but - as I mentioned previously - it's gotten to a tipping point where putting up barriers is no longer a feasible option. Republicans have realized that no shame is required, and their electorate will support them no matter what they do. While in control, they pack the courts with ideologues who share their values, and when not in power they market fear and loathing.

In the 9 1/2 years since Sandy Hook, the number of mass shootings and deaths by firearm has been staggering. At this point, guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens. You'd think this would be something we would act on. As you already know - you'd be wrong.

For this particular problem, we can blame the NRA. It has morphed from a teaching/safety organization into a lobbying juggernaut which opposes ANY form of gun control. Funded by gun manufacturers, they work hand-in-hand with Republican lawmakers to ensure that weapons manufacturing is not impacted.

Every time there is a school shooting, they point fingers in several directions, none of which are at the easy access to guns. They want to turn schools into gulags, where every adult is armed, something the vast majority of teachers oppose.

If it isn't unfettered access to any sort of weaponry, it's abortion, or CRT, or WRT, or the Green New Deal... If Democrats are trying to promote a fact-based intellectual discussion, it's the Republicans who reflexively oppose it, with a *grunt* BAD!!, and their low-education foot soldiers gobble it up. This is where we are, and why it will be nearly impossible to right our foundering ship.