THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Yahoo: “Tupac’s murder case goes to trial today after 30 years. What took so long?” Tupac Shakur was murdered in 1996 in Las Vegas. The drive-by shooting centers around a casino altercation and a retaliatory gang-related dispute. 

       Personalities linked to the deadly event: <>Marion “Suge” Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records and driver of the BMW who was grazed in the shooting and is currently serving a prison sentence for an unrelated homicide. <>Sean “Diddy” Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, whose label was tied to the East-West coast rivalry and the orbit of the South Side Crips. <>The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace), the Bad Boy Records rapper and friend-turned-rival whose murder six months later remains culturally and historically intertwined with Shakur's. All of these guys are African-Americans or black. 

       The new person linked to the crime? Duane "Keffe D" Davis, another black dude. He allegedly orchestrated the murder, while his nephew Orlando Anderson is widely believed to have fired the fatal shots. So are we nearing the conclusion of this case? Yet I wonder out loud: What if a suspect is white? Or any non-black individual? I bet this case would have been solved years ago? You know where I am going with this, right? ⚖️😒⚖️

Washington Post: “A $20 burrito sparks an online debate among conservatives over affordability.” So a burrito is now a (political) polar extremes dartboard pitch? Only “conservatives” debate the affordability of burritos? Liberals are cool about it? LOL! How idiotic this news report is! 

       Anyhow, the national median price for a restaurant burrito in the U.S. is $13.58. However, the actual cost ranges anywhere from $4.00 to over $20.00, heavily depending on where you buy it, what protein you choose, and if you use third-party delivery services. Okay? As for me, I am not into Mexican foods, except the Mojarra Frita. Are you now asking me about my politics? LOL! 👈☮️👉

Politico: “ICE's detention crackdown overwhelms the courts.” According to the report, one judge said: “Never seen anything like this.” Ah what partisanship-induced drama! This: Before the Obama administration (which began in January 2009), the U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the Southwest border were roughly 705,000 in fiscal year 2008 and 858,000 in fiscal year 2007, down from over 1 million per year between 2004 and 2006. Yet Mr Obama removed 400,000 on average in his first term.

      Again, from 2021 to 2024 or in Joe Biden’s years, undocumented crossings went back to 1 million+ av. What would Donald Trump do? No brainer. Exactly what Mr Obama did albeit more focused and intent. Last year, Mr Trump’s Homeland Security deported more than 605,000 individuals. Meanwhile, the U.S. Border Patrol agents recorded approximately 237,500 encounters along the U.S.–Mexico border. This total marked the lowest annual level for illegal border crossings since 1970.

      Of course, the Left isn’t concerned about that. They want “no borders!” instead. Which then brings us to European migrant crossings or the recent incident in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. Etc etcetera. I wish I could discuss this (immigration/migrant) issue sans politics, and just focus on numbers and situations. 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

BBC: “Teen hitmen are being recruited like gamers for killings across Europe.” This isn't really unusual. In the Philippines, at least in the 1980s when I was covering the beat, many urban guerrilla “hitmen” (a.k.a. Sparrow Unit) were teen-agers, as young as 14 years old. Whether they do it per political ideology or common crime, the young are easily recruited. A mix of fiery idealism, allure of perilous romanticism, easy money, daring boast (that they can do it, no problem) and gung-ho risk-taking. Plus, the advent of Social Media ups the adrenaline. They even post their deadly mischief online! This news, Associated Press: “Mexico City murder: A gunman kills a social media influencer during a livestream.” Wild, wild world! ☮️☮️☮️

CNN: “Teen kills classmates, teachers and his grandparents in Thai gun rampage, police say.” Absurd, surreal, bizarre. Mostly, I blame the internet or Social Media’s easy access to hate–for all these. Mass shootings aren’t just an exclusive American “deadly sport” anymore. Other countries do copycat crimes as well. European cities, African towns, everywhere. There’s one two or 3 months ago, perpetrated as well by youths, in the Philippines. Now, in Thailand.

      Meanwhile, from 1999’s Columbine massacre in Colorado, the “video-game” styled killing rampage in the U.S. hasn’t subsided. That’d include my once-peaceful city of Asheville. And when the community talks about the horror, the tone of the discussion is expectedly, Left vs. Right, or blame Trump. Me, I’d rather not engage in a discourse. I just stay safe when I am out there, which is pretty much an average of 2 errands (out in town) a month. ☮️☮️☮️