Prickly City by Scott Stantis for May 26, 2022

I morn the dead

I pray for those that suffer loss and heartache

I fear for those in harm’s way

I know one day I’ll share their fate

But today it is my task honor those now gone

Tomorrow I’ll hold their memory as a song

As I must return to the living, where I belong

For now

There are sincere expressions of sympathy and bereavement.

Then there are those that contract that stuff out….

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A mass shooter killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. And Republican politicians took to Twitter in the wake of this tragedy to express their condolences.

But if you look closely, you’ll notice something odd.

Many of the messages were identical, as though they’re all just copying and pasting the same tweets from the last mass shooting.

There seems to be a formula for how right-wing politicians are now responding to mass shootings on social media that goes something like this: I am [HORRIFIED, HEARTBROKEN, ETC] at the senseless tragedy in [LOCATION] today. We are [LIFTING THEM UP IN PRAYER, PRAYING FOR THEM] and thank the heroic efforts of [POLICE, FIRST RESPONDERS, ETC] on the scene.

That’s it. No promise that laws will be passed to help stop these mass shootings from happening again; no recognition that the U.S. is the only wealthy country in the world where mass shootings happen frequently; no acknowledgement that children in other countries don’t have to participate in active shooter drills. The only thing politicians can muster is “thoughts and prayers” and “thank God for our cops.”

Take a look at some of the tweets from yesterday, with an emphasis in the text from Gizmodo to show just how identical these statements really are.

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gizmodo.com/republican-twitter-texas-school-shooting-ghouls-ted-cru-1848973888

OK Trump is the skunk but who is the other guy supposed to be? It’s never been clear to me.

“In common? Well, we both used to represent someone, and now we’re free-floating tokens with meanings and values assigned randomly by the requirements of the gag. Sort of like Gops, we don’t stand for anything any more.”

Of course there are many more important things to talk, write, and think about, but who the heck is the evil-looking bunny supposed to be? Thanks.

It’s not like the Clintons weren’t nausea-inducing enough. Then Trump pretty much honed that to near-hysteria level. The two of them together in this toon in concert with what is coming out of politicians of every stripe is stomach-turning overload.

Sexual predators, associates of Epstein, lairs, accused rapists, etc., etc.,,,,,