Rushing's Ramblings

Sandie and I were close friends for most of our childhood. We marched in the band, attended school events, and had many classes together for twelve years. We enjoyed staying at each other's houses on the weekends when we were young. I remember many evenings talking for hours into the early morning about classmates, teachers, and our dreams for the future. Giggles about all things took up most of our time. Shortly after Sandie and I obtained our driver's licenses, Sandie asked if we could spend some time together on a Saturday. She lived about a mile from me and offered to pick me up at my house. We were laughing at something ridiculous when the car suddenly left the pavement. Sandie wasn't experienced enough at driving to recover, so we ended up in a deep ditch alongside Phillips Park, only a few blocks from her house. No one was hurt, but the car was severely damaged and was subsequently towed. I don't remember riding in an automobile with her after that incident, but

Since moving back to Texas five years ago, I've learned more than I ever wanted about human nature, and it isn't pretty. The support of the previous president, our politically motivated governor, the pandemic, and the subsequent reaction to COVID by people living in rural Texas has revealed an eagerness to turn away from the sound, scientifically proven research and follow along on a dark road led by the biggest quacks in the country. It feels like I've been dropped into a Stepford Wives scenario, where not just the wives but the husbands have become robots that are easily led to believe anything they're told. I always thought it was a lack of critical thinking or pure laziness, but it's more sinister than not taking the time to research and use logic. No, it's far worse. It's the willingness to relinquish any desire to dig further than what someone in authority tells them, whether it's a rogue medical "professional" or a man-child disguised as