A shooter fired into an Independence Day parade from the top of an outdoor equipment store at Highland Park, lllinois today. He used a semi-automatic rifle (most likely an AR-15), killed six people, and injured more than a few dozen.

It doesn't surprise me.

America's been suffering from mass shootings for some time, a result of its tragically steady crumbling into a nation barely capable of calling itself the greatest superpower on the planet. Eventually it won't be able to boast that title at all. I predict that it'll collapse from within in a horrific display of unapologetic chaos that'll leave it limping and pleading for death, and the saddest part about it is that when the smoke clears people will wonder what happened, what went wrong, what they could've done to prevent such a crippling series of catastrophes, when the inevitable downfall of our nation will only have one explanation: us.

By and large, we're such a cowardly and mentally weak population. You could honestly say the same of the peoples of most First World countries sprinkled across the globe. We're so docile, so fearful of risk and change, so much so that we're unwilling to do what's necessary to change the ill-fated trajectory of our home, which is to fight back.

Everything is rotten in America. It's being reinforced with more and more bricks of selfishness, greed, drugs, lies, and sex, and those at the top know they can get away with it. They laugh behind our backs when they make promises they know they'll never keep and gleefully call us fools when we rejoice at political "victories" that do little to benefit so few of us in the long run.

To them, we only live to serve.

Nothing else matters.

Not our rights, not our goals, and most importantly not our happiness.

That's the cold truth.

It's why tragedies like the one that occurred today will continue to happen for many more years. It's why more people will continue to be killed and why more and more of us will continue to be stripped down until we're little more than human cattle to the elite.

Happy Fourth.

I was given a pool cue today. It was a gift from a man I call DJ since he's always playing music from his balcony. Most of us residents don't mind because it can only be heard once you leave your apartment; he's considerate enough not to blast his eclectic selections so loud that you'd worry about your eardrums exploding while making lunch. That's what made me like him initially. Considerate people are fucking great.

He has bad feet, which makes it difficult for him to walk and drive, and so sometimes I make runs to the liquor store for him, and I guess that really made an impression on him because he called me over as I was walking downstairs and presented the cased gift with a nearly toothless smile.

"My friend used to hustle with this," he said while handing it over. "He was a playboy, a real handsome son of a bitch, and made his money going to white bars back in the day 'cause white boys always thought they could beat his black ass." He laughed at that, causing his mountain of a gut to shake. "What they didn't know was he had a table in his basement and played all the time. He was a whiz with a stick. Played a mad game. But eventually his hands went bad and he gave it to me. And now I'm giving it to you."

I asked him why he didn't use it and he scoffed while waving the notion away.

"I hate playing pool," he said. "I ain't got time to spend being frustrated around one of those damn tables every other day. But I see you practicing, so here. I'm sure my friend would want you to have it."

I hesitated for a moment, but thankfully I've grown into a man who knows that it's foolish to refuse a gift. When someone offers you something for nothing, you just take it. You thank them, you accept their gift with a smile, and you move on. It's insulting to refuse someone's goodwill and generosity. It's a hard lesson to learn when you've got as much pride as I do, but it's one that'll make a man's life ten times easier.

I like the stick. You can tell it's seen some hard days when you look at it closely, but getting it for free is something I can't complain about at all. It has a jet black gloss, salt and pepper linen wrapping, and a thick wood shaft with a mushroomed leather tip. But it's straight, isn't too heavy in my hands, and when I executed some practice strokes it went forward and back like it was riding some melted butter spread over my bridge.

I'm gonna thank DJ by asking him if he'd like me to make another run for him today. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation.