Bat Country

Today in Bat Country, I am confounded by where our social discourse is headed. Regardless of one's personal political leanings, aptitude, or perceived "patriot" status, our national conversation has gone straight down the toilet.  Relationships of all types - friends, families, communities, have been ripped asunder since the 2016 election.  I am not just referring to political talk. On that front, it is pretty clear where each stands in regards to our current leader.  You love it or you hate it. Both sides seem willing to burn any bridge available to express their point.  Mind you, I'm equally guilty, and I will get into that more.  The take no prisoners, defile the opponent before making a coherent point approach seems to be the norm these days. Something I have become acutely aware of is the propensity to take this tack on whatever the topic.  Folks just seem constantly peeved and ready to explode given any opportunity.  You don't like my favor...

  "The car suddenly veered off the road and we came to a sliding halt in the gravel. I was hurled against the dashboard. My attorney was slumped over the wheel. "What's wrong?" I yelled. "We can't stop here. This is bat country!"" Excerpt from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Rolling Stone, November 11, 1971. 80 years ago today, July 18, 1937, the world gave us a unique gift in the form of Hunter S. Thompson.  From humble beginnings, he became the new voice of...something.  What that something is, or was, has yet to be determined. If nothing else, he was a spokesman for the weird, a demographic which really didn't have a spokesman, at least not one with his profile. Over time, he would become an acerbic critic of the establishment.   Today, his standing is often overlooked.  However, I would argue, his perspective has never been more prescient.  Today, we live in a world more distorted from previous realities than any other...