Uvalde

 1.) I've held off on posting about it because I wanted to see what facts began to become clear after the initial round of hot takes, rumors and disjointed bits of information. 

2.) The whole school-shooting phenomenon is a symptom of a root malady. I don't know that I have anything all that original to say about that. Bari Weiss sums it up effectively at her Substack, as does the editorial team at Commentary in its daily podcast for Wednesday, as does Dennis Sanders this morning at Ordinary Times. 

The way I would articulate the crisis is this: Nothing binds us together as a society anymore. Not institutional religion, not our identity politics-driven educational system. We have no agreed upon standards for what makes for great literature, music or visual art. We're obliterating the basic architecture of the universe, particularly human sexuality. Consequently, we believe in nothing outside ourselves. That leads to narcissism and nihilism, which can lead to the "I'm-gonna-get-me-a-gun-and-gout-out-and-make-a-STATEMENT!" mindset.

3.) Biden's remarks were abysmally tone deaf and divisive. "Stand up to the gun lobby"? Seriously?

4.) That said, I commend the prudence of the politicians who are stepping away from speaking spots at the NRA convention. The timing and optics are not good.

5.) Beto O'Rourke was rightly put in his place. He acted like a supreme jerk.

6.) The Uvalde police department seems to be supremely incompetent, as evidenced by the train-wreck press conference at which reporters couldn't get answers to some pretty direct questions.