TORONTO – It is sooo easy to see the bad side of other humans (as we overlook our own shortcomings) because vice and evil jar all our sensibilities. Thank heavens there are “standards” that remind us of aspirational goals and conduct. 

These last two weeks (end of the Lenten period culminating in Holy week for Catholic/Christians and Passover for Jews) have been replete with examples of social and institutional dysfunctionalities – violence of a physical or moral nature – that really do call for examination of individual and collective examination of conscience.

Before I elaborate, allow me a positive “shout out” to Rex Murphy, a columnist/editorialist, formerly of the CBC, the Globe and Mail and currently with the National Post. I have never met him. I have never troubled myself with the philosophical/ideological grounding of his morality/ethics/religion – his opinions speak for themselves. His April 8 column, Eternally Grateful for the Inspiring Miracle of Easter, could serve as a reminder that religious motivations continue to inspire human creative talent to transform the world of words, music and visual arts into expressions of the “purpose for the human condition”. It does not matter if one is religious or amoral, the message does not change.

I did not want to descend into the facile argument of “woe to us who are governed by failing politicos”. Yet here we were, in the week that the President of the USA chose to visit Canada, a New York District Attorney (Alvin Bragg), took the “unprecedented” step of laying criminal charges against former USA President Trump.

The USA is Canada’s most important trading partner (roughly 80% of it’s value); New York has a GDP of $2 Trillion – the same as Canada’s but with only half of its population. Its economy and “culture” have a significant influence on [Anglo]Canadian socio-political dynamics.

Those who are familiar with Trump as a “personality” may wonder what he has done, recently, to warrant such attention. In a nutshell, he apparently paid for the services of a “working girl” (while married) through company finances, tried to resolve the uncomfortable consequences with “hush money”, and then lied about it.

According to the District Attorney, no one is above the law. Not to belittle the “event”, what was new?

Contemporaneously, a “judge” in Wisconsin, Janet Protasiewicz, was elected to the state Supreme Court. Her election campaign and result gave “liberals”, smarting from the American Supreme Court’s decision on abortion rights, some oxygen. Now, she is the Law. CNN, the left-wing standard bearer in the USA went into orgiastic convulsions of ecstasy. 

It was a tragic and busy two weeks for “law-abiding, family-oriented” Americans. News emerged from the conditions surrounding the shooting and killing of three adults and children a Nashville, Tennessee, school where the assassin fired 152 rounds before the killing spree ended. Then, last week, three legislators were ejected (two expelled) for their actions in triggering bedlam in the legislature as they protested weak anti-gun legislation.

According to various data gathering sources, 48,830 Americans were killed by attackers using guns in 2021; that represents an increase of 8% over 2020. Should we be surprised? Maybe not. Statista Usa claims that in excess of 45% of all households claim to have at least one firearm in the home. The total number of guns is a staggering 434 million!

Today in Louisville, Kentucky, another assassin caused the death of five and eight injured as a result of his addiction to guns. There must be something seriously ill with an American culture so reliant on weapons of destruction.

In the pic above, weapons for sale in a West Virginia store (photo by Teitur Hansen from Unsplash)