The linked article called to mind an earlier ritual wth many similarities, including being a particularly USian phenomenon: the nuclear-attack drills of the 'in the shadow of The Bomb' generations. (Being of such a generation but Canadian, I was never a participant in one, but I knew of them even as a kid.) Makes me wonder if there's a connection.

At least we don't have rituals where we are actively training all students to use guns.

BTW: In the event that someone’s looking in on this thread (and I know everyone’s overwhelmed, and for good reason) - there’s a request for assistance that’s about to get pushed off the ‘Recent Comments’ list.

(Offers small dish of ratatouille)

Well, except for the whole, "maybe somebody down the hall" instead of "maybe that country across the world" part.

After I'd finished, I really needed to read Jo Walton's Moloch afterward.

Last two lines:

The Gun, like Moloch, keeps the people free.
But these are not my gods, will never be.

Crazy(and suddenly chilled in the summer heat)Soph

For the rest of it, yes.

P.

"Ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth" which translates as "We're still here, in spite of everyone and everything."[0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yma_o_Hyd for the translation

In both cases, though, the piece evokes consideration of the groups and the rituals in our lives, and the importance of evaluating which ones are worth our investment.

For me, this group, and the postings and comments in it, are among the things I value (even though I lurk more than I post). I realize that our hosts have had concerns in their lives that have taken priority over this blog. But as long as they're willing to keep the doors open and allow the conversations to continue, I'm happy to invest my time and attention here. Thank you for this space, and for the conversations.

If this blog should fall fallow, that's OK, but it hasn't done so yet as far as the commenters are concerned.

(Praisegod Barebones, I had noticed that query too and passed the message on. It's now been taken care of.)

* * *

To reprise my Tweet of Saturday night:

{Comes up for air after three grueling days of tending a booth at #GenCon.}

{Checks why #ElPaso and #Dayton are trending.}

{Gratefully gets ready for fourth day tending at booth at #GenCon}

Greetings and many thanks to our gracious hosts and those who keep the Light on here.

I mourn the fact that the moderators of this uniquely lovely forum do not have the wherewithal to continue posting here. But that is not their fault.

If you need to care for those close to you, do so. If you need to care for your community, do so.

The only thing I'd gently recommend is to remember that your community extends beyond your personal space...especially if you've already established relationships with them.

This is not to suggest there is any obligation for anyone to engage in conversations that harm them.

I think I speak for the majority here simply to say that we value all of you and hope you are in a place where you can speak to us soon.

Likewise, plus Twitter's latest format change has made it much less usable. I've been eyeing Mastodon with interest; wondering if folks here have presences over there, and if so, which instance(s)?

https://wandering.shop/about/more

I'd be very happy to help with invitations, for interested folks... a number of recognizable names are there, however quiet they might be at the moment...

Crazy(and missing earlier days here, but finding new rhythms as circumstances warrant)Soph

Done! Sorry for the dance-of-the-nyms, though!

Crazy(and of many faces...)Soph

Thank you!

Thank you!

carolkimball (That's you?)

Crazy(if it is, I can send you an invite)Soph

PS how are you getting on with the invite, Jacque? Did it arrive? It was time-sensitive, so did I leave you enough time, or should I send one of slightly longer duration?

That's a great, true, and utterly heartbreaking article, Patrick. Thanks for linking to it.

He's right in a sense that we've chosen to be this way...but in another sense we've been tricked and manipulated into that choice by decades of propaganda by the gun industry, and their minions the NRA and GOP. It's also part and parcel of their racist agenda; remember that the NRA was all in favor of gun control when it was the Black Panthers who were arming up.

The result is that we now live in a country where a black man is shot for handling a BB gun in a toy store that sells them in an open-carry state but a white man can walk around with a AR-15 hanging unsecured over his back without even being asked to leave the store.

I could say more, but I've been teetering on the edge of despair since the Dayton shooting (the second in under 24 hours), so I'll stop here for now.

In depth discussions are mentioned supra but lately for some very long term meaning of lately, conversations have followed the suggestion of a famous BYU type to begin with the end in mind. A shibboleth, even a team building exercise but not an amusing trifle. Perhaps it was Wilde who suggested some things are too important to be taken wholly seriously.

"It's also part and parcel of their racist agenda; remember that the NRA was all in favor of gun control when it was the Black Panthers who were arming up."

Compare with "Mr. [Roy] Innis served on the NRA’s Board of Directors for nearly 25 years and was a friend to many within the organization. For the nation at large, he was a champion of freedom who exemplified the courage of a man who follows his own convictions......In this regard, he followed a similar path to Charlton Heston, who marched in support of civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C. in 1963 and later became an iconic NRA president."

Are you on Ravelry?

Could I possibly be invited? Thanks.

I'm not sure to where I can send the invite (it's a link, of multiple uses but a week's duration - I'd prefer not to send it in the clear) - I did a search engine search on your name, and got a multiplicity of leads. Rather than guess, I thought I'd ask for your preferred mail-drop...

Crazy(and looking forward to seeing you on Mastodon)Soph

PS I should mention I use a different nym at Wandering Shop - however, the sign-up process also will point at my account, asking if you'd like to follow it. I have to approve followers by hand but at least that means I'll know when folks arrive...

Hey, I come back to check regularly. My complaint is that "nobody's" writing this blog anymore. :-(

When a uniformed officer tells you to take off part of your clothing, submit to a clothes-penetrating scanner or a body search, or go with them to a private room, you are expected to do it without complaint or protest. Any attempt at defiance will be met with escalating force, any disrespect to the officers will be punished, and any attempt at legal challenge gets you "listed" as an ally to "the terrorists".

Dave Harmon @ 52: that's a valid point, but ISTM too narrow a view; there is a stratum in the US that has concluded the best way to stay in power is to keep enough of the populace perpetually terrified of The Other that said fraction will vote for anyone who demonizes any Other and promises protection -- no matter how empty the apparent threat or how ridiculous the offered protection. The security theater of TSA is one element of this.

The owners and moderators aren't our bitches, but if they choose not to post they do give up the right to complain that no one is reading.

My email is onagarf @ gmail dot com. I look forward to seeing you on Mastodon.

That's nearly 200 comments/month and 1 post/month.

I'd liken this to a self-sustaining house party where guests keep arriving with food and drink while the homeowners are away dealing with family out of state.

Will these help?

* Instances are much like email servers, in that you can have accounts on multiple instances, and you can optionally direct traffic from one of your accounts to another one.

* Look for instances with active moderators, for reasons that should be obvious to everyone here.

* Just like on a blog, 'tis a good idea to read the instance rules (usually on the /about page) - both to avoid chewing on your feet and to get an idea what to expect on the local timeline. In many cases you can also see the last few posts on the timeline as a direct sample.

* In particular, learn about Content Warnings and how they're used, and use 'em where needed/expected.

* Use the blocking tools - they're great for cutting down the noise in your feeds.

If anyone else is a fan of (Free|Open|Net|Ghost|Dragonfly|etc.)BSD Unix, I recommend visiting https://bsd.network/ - good folks there.

Some things can be made real, or brought back, if we keep believing.

With this years Campbell award, I'm thinking of Schwarzchild Radius and the authors trying to get the signal out despite the heavy hand of Campbell's editing. How much stenography and subtext was invested there?

With this years Campbell award, I'm thinking of Schwarzchild Radius and the authors trying to get the signal out despite the heavy hand of Campbell's editing. How much stenography and subtext was invested there?

I have two words: Whitey Ardmore. It was probably good practice for John Thomas.

The surprise that is realizing that I live no more than 35 miles from Angiportus Librarysaver and used to live close to the hospital in his locale. I had just moved prior to the shooting he speaks of.

As I write this I am seeing that there is another shooting going on in Texas between Odessa and Midland. Out ritual has passed by dogma and become an article of the American faith. This saddens and frightens me beyond belief.

Am I losing my faith or just my faith in what men have made of it?

61 and mostly alive

Patrick and I both wanted to blog Kieran Healy's essay, only he got there first, because I was never ever labeled a shortfasttalkinghyperfan, and he was the species' type specimen.

Some essays roll out a subject in all its complexity, tens of thousands of words plus footnotes and a list of bibliographical abbreviations.

There are other essays where the writer has gone through all the complexities and emerged in that space where the sentences and paragraphs are simple, but the meanings are not.

Thus, Kieran Healy on guns.