Which way sifts the sand?

After the killing of Melissa and Mark Hortman

We were invited to a private livestream yesterday (Saturday, June 28) of the funeral of Minnesota’s slain former House leader, Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark. Due mostly to my terrible comprehension skill, but also partly to high security necessitating the cryptic invitation we got, because they were stalked and murdered, I thought we were going to a real funeral at a strange union headquarters in St. Paul. Instead, we arrived at a sparsely attended YouTube webcast in a large room, close to the railroad and my old SPFE28 teachers union hall. Video fed from the real funeral at Minneapolis’ Catholic Basilica of St. Mary, by Loring Park.

Ack, all during these sad weeks, I’ve seen useless, unserviceable comeuppances in the bottomless snake pit of politics. I remind myself, this was an assassination. Assassinations obliterate everything. There’s no hay here. It’s a horrible tragedy.

It is a time to think, though, beyond the murderer now on suicide watch, about other unseen forces. The spectacle is emblematic — of what? — of not knowing things anymore.

It’s all horrific, and I could end this right there because I assume we agree: a madman barged into their home and killed them and their dog on June 14, two weeks ago.

Nothing is senseless for long, to me, since working with violent psychiatric patients, and violent students. I’m not a forensic guy, but behaviors, mostly, serve a purpose. They come tethered to a boatload of “priors.” Why her? Why now? this time that we stumble through? What threat did Melissa Hortman pose to him? None. She was no longer speaker of the Minnesota House. After a deadlock battle for leadership, she gave her Speaker chair to a Republican in January.

Media pegged his cause at the broad DFL stance on abortion. Maybe that satisfied their thirst to assign rationale.

But look at all the other low hanging fruit that a maniac would hate (see, even I am imputing motive, and I am the original politically homeless who probably should see everything as exhaustingly ridiculous), because during their trifecta led by Hortman, Minnesota Dems got every single thing they wanted. This piece said: Bonkers success. “We did kind of clear the decks,” Hortman said. From MinnPost,

Democrats codified abortion rights, paid family and medical leave, sick leave, transgender rights protections, drivers licenses for undocumented residents, restoration of voting rights for people when they are released from prison or jail, wider voting access, one-time rebates, a tax credit aimed at low-income parents with kids, and a $1 billion investment in affordable housing including for rental assistance.

Last January Hortman led a three week boycott against the Republican majority. They walked out. They soft-quit their jobs. It struck my average eyes as cry-bully tactics, akin to Dems playing Candy Crush on their phones during Trump’s 2018 SOTU. It’s nothing different from Republicans’ cheap tactics.

But those were giant Dem gains, especially infuriating to conservatives, because while they banned gay conversion therapy, they promoted kids’ trans conversion therapy without parental consent. That St. Paul form notes access if parents do not comply. In further promotion of trans conversion in St. Paul schools, 👇🏻

I am not excusing a killer. My disgust stirred this lifelong Dem’s exception to prohibition of the death penalty in this particular case.

Now I’ll go personal, because I’m tired of rationalizing a man’s murder spree.

It was not Republicans who stalked me and cost me another ten years of teaching the city’s disabled kids and gangbangers, who cost me my retirement, our kids’ college funds, or vacations. We haven’t flown anywhere since 2012, paying loans and healthcare debts, and eating soup and hash. I was a democrat my whole life until 2016.

I’m homeless. It’s not fine, but it’s FINE. I’ll spare you the why. I walk the ridge outside Dem life now, but with great binoculars to watch them down below. I only care in the most toothless way now about classic Dem causes like justice and peace, mental illness, education, and elder care, with zero funds, and a despondent head nod. Like, good luck with that, guys. Colleges and schools racially segregating, and eliminating white hires against federal law, knock yourselves out. Both parties, you who do nothing to stop World War 3, instead promoting war to own Trump, your time is up.

I ask, which way sifts the sand? I see a thin trickle of sand from an all-knowing hand. What does the sand know? I want to know, how much longer will these extreme incidents, these imputations of villainy, and real villainy, seeking in their vengeful ways to zero the scale, continue to plague us? Why can’t we be normal foes, and jockey over words?

Are we just sitting ducks for this? What’s the next thing that will not bend itself to sense making?