Texas Outlaw Writers Newsletter: It Doesn't Feel Like Independence Edition
A different kind of fireworks this 4th. No glorious, colorful rocket's red glare... just a slow, smoky, simmering burn that keeps smoldering and flaring up. Creeping along, destroying pieces of us as it crawls along in the underbrush. A lot of anger, hurt, distrust... and a growing hopelessness.
In the beginning of DeeceX's piece this week (What Fresh Hell is This... and This...," he gives a quick outline of the whys and wherefores:
These days we feel like a sinful goddam nation, laden with iniquity. In the just-completed month of June – for which end we should be by god grateful – we've seen the following fresh hells: the continued tragedy of an elementary school massacre,, the Great Climate Backslide, congressional hearings about plots to overthrow a free and fair election, grotesquely mismanaged coverups of school massacres, forest fires in one state with torrential flooding next door, deranged major political party platforms, gunslingers in the streets of New York, plots to overthrow the Constitution, pardon requests from people plotting to overthrow the Constitution, helpless migrants dying in tractor-trailers, and so forth.
In a private note to the rest of the Outlaws, DeeceX also noted that:
...don’t know about y’all (although I suspect), but this Fourth of July feels like we’re approaching the Bridge of Death. We have to come up with answers to the “questions three,” but don’t even know what they are. Worse still, many of our fellow Americans seem content, even excited, about plunging our nation into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.
Is it time to have a serious talk with Queen Elizabeth? What an outstanding final gift for her Platinum Jubilee if she were to receive the USA back into the empire. Hey, it was fun while it lasted. One of the longest Rumspringas on record, but it's time that we got serious and took our place back in the Commonwealth. We have a lot to offer... a solid navy, (you know how the Brits love their boats,) a growing though stuttering economy, and there's always Harry and Meghan. If H&M refuse to genuflect and become a sticking point, we can throw them to Australia and present the Queen a royal cryptocurrency to be named later.
What a Jubilee that would be! Who doesn't love a parade? And on July 4th! We could dig up George Washington's sword out of some closet in the Smithsonian and get Biden to present it to the Queen in some grand ceremony. If not a sword, then we'll bedazzle up the nuclear code briefcase and hand it over. We trade Parliament some excellent Mexican Food, and we get national healthcare, gun control, and the right to an abortion!
Lin-Manuel Miranda had it right. We're back. Maybe the sooner the better? King George wasn't as crazy as we thought.
You'll be back, soon, you'll see
You'll remember you belong to me
You'll be back, time will tell
You'll remember that I served you well
Oceans rise, empires fall
We have seen each other through it all...
It's been a rough month, folks. And the fact that it's been the hottest June ever recorded in the contiguous United States has not helped our attitude. The Outlaws have... words.
Speaking of DeeceX, let's let him start us off. As previously mentioned, he leads with a pretty good rundown of a pretty bad month.
Deece Eckstein
A quick note: John Nova Lomax is still hospitalized, but reports from close family suggest that he's doing much better. We continue to wish him the best, and we all await the stories that come out of this!
In the meantime... pinch-hitting for John... one of his (and our) old buddies, Michael-V is on deck. Both John and Roger have worked with Mike, and we're glad to have him as a contributor. Check out his bio, here.
Oh, and why do we have two old white guys with mysterious rapper-style names? We're named "Texas Outlaws" for a reason.
Michael-V comes out swinging. In the light (or darkness) of the last month, he's tired of the innerweb memes that constantly claim progressive victimhood. More importantly, he doesn't pull any punches when going after the liberal purity police who forever sacrifice the possible in search of the perfect, (perfect usually being some woke unicorn that feeds on gluten-free hay and a locally crafted artisanal IPA.) But at least his offers a solution of sorts...
MichaelV
If our discussion involves Roe and women in general, we shouldn't go much further without consulting one. Specifically, a black woman who will tell you that they know a thing or two about injustice. Myra Jolivet's solution? She's wondering if it's time to move on. In a literal sense.
Myra Jolivet, SMPS
Ever the one for understatement, James Moore takes a look at Texas's blithe reaction to the Supremes, and aims to hold Governor "Dr. Death" Abbott accountable. From his farcical immigration policies to his faux compassion over massacred school children, Jim no longer cares about Abbott's incompetence. It's his cruelty that has become unconscionable.
James C. Moore
Taking it all in, if one can possibly take it all in... Roger Gray is looking to 2024. It's certainly easier than dealing with what's directly in front of us. On the other hand, looking back at the two most recent candidates for the Oval Office, could it possibly be a rerun? The Jan. 6 hearings are having an effect, no matter what Tucker Carleson says. And gas prices and inflation, in general, are kicking Americans' asses. Could it really come back to another Trump/Biden contest? Let the handicapping begin.
Roger T. Gray
It's the 4th. Get out. BBQ something. Eat a hot dog. Or a salad. Fly the flag. It's your country, too.
And don't forget it.