Processing
Processing
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History July 15 - 21.
Good morning, Okay History friends. Thanks for reading this morning.
I’m still processing what happened on Saturday. There’s no way you can make light of the attempted assassination of the former president, and I’m not even going to try. I pray for President Trump, and I’m glad he wasn’t more seriously hurt or worse. I pray for the victims of this tragedy, especially the volunteer firefighter who was killed. He was just a few years older than me.
From early reports, it looks like the hopeful assassin used an AR-566, another weapon that is not okay. I’m sure we will learn more details about the disturbed young man, and then we can get back to continue arguing about everything.
There’s no way to slice this other than this is terrible for our country. I’m not a Trump fan, and I certainly think he is dangerous for our country, from his own words. But I would never wish him death, especially not one rooted in violence. No one deserves that. Okay, maybe some people do, but not this guy.
We have survived successful and unsuccessful attempts to take out sitting presidents and even presidential candidates. I’m sure that, at the time, people were processing the situation and looking at the future with uncertainty. That’s the thing about history; you never know you are in a pivotal moment until well past it.
The 2024 election is set to be one of the most electric elections ever. Hopefully, people will see that violence never solves anything, and we will get back to calling people sleepy or saying that they lie about their golf handicaps. You know, the petty, juvenile stuff that doesn’t escalate.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. Geraldine Farrero became the Vice President Nominee on July 19, 1984. This would be the main lesson for the week until Saturday’s event took place. Ferrero was born 60 miles north of New York City and became the first female in her family to receive a college degree. She rose through the Democratic party, becoming a representative of New York’s 9th district before Walter Mondale tapped her for his running mate, where they lost to Ronald Reagen by a billion votes.
2. Neil Armstrong walked on the moon on July 20, 1969. Ohio native Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the astronauts of Apollo II. Armstrong and Aldrin took the lunar module Eagle and landed on the moon. Collins basically stayed in the car while his buddies went and had fun. Armstrong took the first steps on the moon and announced this with uninclusive language.
3. The United States Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty on July 21, 1949. The treaty, signed in April, established the collective security system of 30 European countries, the United States, and Canada. Created at the end of World War II, it sought to defend itself from outside attacks. It’s come under scrutiny recently because some countries don’t pay their bills or something.
The attempted assassination of President Trump will be one of those where we you moments in life. Anonymous and I got out of Mass and were headed to dinner when I received a text from a friend about how wild the week would be. We sat at the bar and watched the news on the phone from the person sitting next to us. Then I ate a delicious crab cake sandwich. This is how I process.
Anonymous and I are at the beach while Blue enjoys his life at the dog sitter. I love beach week, and this year especially, I need time away to recharge and relax.
I will see you back here on Friday. I hope you and our country have a good and safe week.
Okay,
Chris
