Wincing when we read the news

The “Bizarro” cartoon pictured a chap connected the Styx successful a handbasket with Death poling them down the River.  “This is turning retired precisely arsenic my parent predicted,” helium said.

We are so going to hellhole successful a handbasket, conscionable arsenic parent said we would if we didn’t alteration our evil ways. That aforesaid day, writer Susan Orlean tweeted: “I’m truthful huffy astir truthful overmuch that I can’t determine what to fixate on,” to which a follower replied: “I similar to rage incoherently.”

That aforesaid hour, Zócalo columnist Joe Matthews, huffy presumably astir 1 of the respective things Orlean was, wrote: “Texas says idiosyncratic state is truthful important that you can’t marque students deterioration masks successful classrooms, adjacent if it would prevention lives. Then Texas says its committedness to beingness requires that you stay pregnant, adjacent if you don’t privation to be. Why are we successful a Union with Texas?”

Even though Texas is everlastingly threatening to secede, truthful that this statement whitethorn not past forever, the champion lawsuit I tin marque for sticking with the Lone Stars is truthful I don’t person to transportation my passport erstwhile I spell sojourn my Panhandle cousins successful bid to reason with them astir politics.

Which is precisely wherefore my ain mother, an Adlai Stevenson girl, near Texas astatine 18 to travel to Scripps College successful the precocious ‘40s: she was bushed of arguing with her household astir politics.

She would beryllium truthful ticked astir the Texas termination determination that her agleam reddish hairsbreadth would person erupted successful flames. I was capable to present my parent to some Ann Richards and Molly Ivins successful the years earlier each 3 of them died, and they were the kinds of Texans that alternatively kindled immoderate anticipation successful her.

But you could conscionable cherry-pick the headlines from the past week if you were seeking things to rage incoherently about.

Sure, determination was “Justices’ soundlessness lets Texas halt astir abortions,” which is so an appalling workout successful regression. Six weeks in, galore women bash not adjacent recognize they are pregnant. Yet that’s the constituent astatine which Texas makes abortions illegal, done an end-around the Constitution that allows idiosyncratic snitches to telephone retired anyone who provides an abortion.

“Remarkable,” arsenic Harry Shearer wrote, “that, successful the aforesaid week, the Taliban took power of Afghanistan AND the Texas legislature.”

Turns retired the Taliban were arsenic amazed arsenic anyone however swiftly they would beryllium delivered Kabul. One Taliban leader, ordered to caput to the office of the Afghan spy agency, expected immoderate resistance, astatine least. “There was nary 1 determination but a lawman director,” helium told The New York Times, “who handed the gathering to us.”

The effects of clime alteration are not determination successful the future: the aboriginal is now. New York City flooding was the effect of rainfall that broke erstwhile records acceptable … 2 weeks ago.

“In nighttime connected Tahoe occurrence lines, trees are gone successful a flash.” And truthful this vacation weekend, each California nationalist forests are closed.

The delta variant is ruining the betterment due to the fact that foolish Americans garbage vaccinations. So however astir “Arizona’s embattled politician joins GOP anti-mask cause.” The aforesaid Gov. Doug Ducey who was really reasonably applicable and nationalist health-minded successful the teeth of the pandemic, shutting down gyms wherever the deadly microorganism could spread. But the anti-death stance didn’t spell implicit good with immoderate constituents, truthful he’s gone implicit to the acheronian side, telling schools that privation to support students and teachers that they can’t.

“McCarthy tells tech not to assistance Jan. 6 inquiry” — due to the fact that the House number person from California doesn’t privation his ain telephone records during the Capitol riot scrutinized. Because who you gonna telephone erstwhile your House is invaded?

Would it assistance if I conscionable didn’t work the news? Sadly, I’m successful the incorrect concern for that.

Larry Wilson is connected the Southern California News Group editorial board. lwilson@scng.com.