On September 23rd, the autumn equinox occurred in the United States, ushering in the official commencement of the fall season. In regions across the nation, the weather has begun to cool in general, and the first signs of the vibrant colors of autumn foliage are appearing naturally across the landscape. Americans across the union are hoping for mild weather, as the meteorological results of the summer months have been everything but favorable. In Maui, Hawaii, the deadliest wildfires in American history occurred in August, causing widespread carnage and devastation. In southern California, Hurricane Hilary deposited record levels of rainfall which outpaced the previous year’s annual totals in many townships; the storm also brought about massive power outages, damages, mudslides and flooding.
On the east coast in western Florida and across several southern states, Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc on coastal communities and inland areas alike. It is well-known that the domestic economic affairs are dreary at best, and the weather, which has been as turbulent as the economy, has mirrored the overall climate of instability within America of late. Paired with these natural phenomenon’s, cities across America have experienced sharp increases in crime over the last several years. Violent crime levels still remain higher than in pre-COVID (2020) years.
In Florida, a tragic event unfolded when a man was murdered in cold blood by a neighbor over a property dispute. In the presence of his eight year old son, Brian Ford aged 42 was shot dead by Edward Druzolowski, aged 78. The elderly Druzolowski claims he fired in “self-defense” after the two individuals engaged in a heated dispute over tree trimming across the property line. Ford had cut too far across Druzolowski and his own property’s border. Druzolowski claimed that he was intimidated by Ford since he served jail time, but Ford was unarmed. One can only imagine how traumatic the experience must have been for Ford’s eight year old son.
