Heretic Habitat

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 and created some of the worlds most beloved art. Don McLean was born in 1945 and became a singer songwriter who produced music which influenced a nation. Lori Lieberman was born in 1951 and came to prominence in the 1970s largely for her song "Killing Me Softly With His Song" which was covered with great success by Roberta Flack in 1973 and Lauryn Hill in 1997, the latter earning a Grammy. What's the point? Stick with me. Don McLean was influenced as an artist by the works of Van Gogh. His song "Vincent" speaks to the personal connection he felt to the artist. The first verse goes: "Starry, starry night Paint your palette blue and grey Look out on a summer's day With eyes that know the darkness in my soul Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colors on the snowy linen land." Clearly the emotion and beauty in Van Gogh's painting influenced

The end has now come. We knew it was coming for a long time. The question we have to ask is how did it happen? Was it the terrorists? The Russians? Climate change? As it turns out it was a suicide. We should have seen the warning signs. America has been acting different for quite some time. She has been withdrawing from things she used to love like freedom and humanity and engaging in high-risk behavior. The soldiers no longer fight for freedom. They fight for a government who sends them to fight and then abandons them when they return. The people have traded courage and compassion for Facebook likes and Instagram followers. We are no longer red, white and blue, but black, white, Republican, Democrat. We were once the land of the free and the home of the brave but now bravery is a microaggression and personal freedom is offensive and not to be tolerated. When we allowed our ideals to die, we put a gun to Lady Linertys head. And this is why America is dead.