This is not “Independence”
6 killed, more than two dozen seriously wounded by a white male, 18-20 years old, from a rooftop with an AR15 at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois. Captured.
For at least thirty years, there has been a conspiracy to flood the United States with machines designed for one purpose — mass murder. This plan never had anything to do with ”hunting” or “freedom” or “the right to bear arms,” it was about setting the stage for widespread chaos and death inside the United States. The plan was successful.
Today, a white male 18-20 with a semi-automatic rifle went to a rooftop and rained high-velocity rounds at the heart of wealthy white America. Make no mistake this is intentional terrorism by someone trained for it.
There is a pattern of young white males indoctrinated into white nationalist ideologies online being trained to wield semi-automatic rifles to attack everything that makes us America. They have terrorized and murdered Black people in Buffalo, schoolchildren in Uvalde, Latinos in El Paso, Muslims in Christchurch, Jews in Pittsburgh, gay people in Orlando, and on and on and on.
Highland Park, Illinois is a wealthy, 82% white suburb of Chicago — a Democratic stronghold. This was an attack on the idealized image that rich, white people have of themselves. A Fourth of July Parade with marching bands, flags and lots of happy kids running around. I’m sure, for the most part, the people there were feeling that America is going to be just fine.
The effect of this shooting, however, whether the shooter intended this or not, is to further shatter the myth of the safe suburban community, and the myth of a functional democracy.
Mass murder at the Fourth of July. This is not “Independence” Day. This day shows us that we’ve lost it.
I will update this article as we learn more. UPDATES below:
Thank you for this clarity.
I spent a lot of time in Highland Park in my college days. It was where my roommate's family lived. It is really a lovely town. No one lives there presently that I personally know, but my heart aches for those affected: both in the town and surrounding areas, not to forget the rest of the US.
We don't have any details as yet on motive, etc. but it is concerning there's a very high percentage of Jewish people as well as an area in HP and in an adjacent town that is heavily immigrant Latino, many of whom were expected to be at the parade today.
I was raised in a conservative Catholic family by an authoritarian-type father. Frankly I am glad he is not with us any longer with everything going on the last few years. He was a lifetime NRA member and certified instructor, dealing in collectors' firearms for the most part. For a number of years, he ran the largest "purist" gun show in the world. It had an emphasis on historical education and they had a competition for the best and most informative displays. Also Western/Native American art and related.
I have lost half my family to the Drumpf cult as it is and it would have been salt in the wound to lose him to it as well.
I know it is likely to get even worse in this country before it gets better and it scares the living bejeebus out of me.
[P.S. I own no firearms by choice.]