THE AMERICAN POSEIDON ADVENTURE

The attack on the White House Correspondents Dinner was sad, but not surprising. The tenor of violence in America has been ramped up over the past few years. The data illustrates the uptick of political violence since 2016, and I don’t need to detail why. It is very apparent.

What is also sad and a sign of the time, no surprise, is the use of the attack as an excuse to build the ostentatious ballroom in the White House. The rationale is true to form. In lieu of understanding the causes of the accelerating violence, the current administration’s choice is to simply ignore the precipitating conditions and build higher walls to keep the causes at bay. It resembles an insatiable arms race requiring more and more and more. If we build it, they will still come. Then we’ll have to build it bigger and ultimately, they will come again. What a miserable future, reminiscent of the late 1700’s just before the French Revolution. There is no way anyone can ever be assured nothing can happen. What we can say is that the security at the White House Press Correspondent’s event worked. Surely there will always be opportunities for improvements, just as there will never be 100% safety.

As November 3^rd approaches it would do those competing for office well to begin developing specific ideas for the future. Simply opposing the current disaster isn’t a pathway for our future that promotes the well-being of all Americans not only those white Americans in the upper income brackets.

The attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was deeply troubling, though not surprising. The broader climate in America has seen a steady rise in political violence in recent years, particularly since 2016, and the data reflects that escalation clearly enough without restating the obvious causes.

What is equally troubling, and emblematic of the moment, is how quickly the incident has been used to justify building an ostentatious new ballroom at the White House. The rationale is familiar: rather than confront the underlying drivers of rising violence, the response is to fortify, build higher walls, create greater distance, and hope the problem remains outside. But history suggests otherwise. Security expansions can become an endless cycle, more barriers, more spending, more reaction, without ever addressing root conditions. If we build it, they will still come. And when they do, we will be told to build again.

It is a bleak trajectory, one that echoes periods of profound social disconnect, moments when leadership failed to grasp the forces building beneath the surface. Does that mean events can only be held in bomb proofed structures with bullet proof windows and roofs that will withstand drone attacks? What a miserable thought! Absolute safety is unattainable; no system can guarantee it. What can be said is that, in this instance, the security measures in place worked. That should be acknowledged, even as we recognize that improvement is always possible and risk can never be eliminated entirely.

With November approaching, those seeking office would do well to move beyond opposition alone and articulate credible, forward-looking solutions. A durable path forward must address the well-being of all Americans, not just those already secure in position or privilege.

VOTE!!!

RESIST!!! & EDUCATE!!!