I can’t do irony this morning, or try to highlight some particular aspect of the stupidity of Life in These United States.

I am listening to the press conference at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs. The Fire and Police chiefs are there, and the incident commander and the Forest Service and the Mayor. This is serious and it is grim.

Last night the worst happened. It is not unimaginable. I have studied how these things work, and the mechanism of the torch we put to the enemy not so long ago. But the people of the Springs did not ask for this, and the perfect storm of backing and rising winds roared through the canyons and made the inferno leap two lines of containment and sweep to the edge of I-25.

It is not unimaginable. Some places the flames shook the heavens and sucked the oxygen out of the air and hurled burning coals in the twisting thermals miles away.

There are people in harms way, and all the animals. This is not unimaginable.

This is real. The conditions are dry as a bone and expected to stay that way. The winds may back around this afternoon again.

Please let the winds be light and protect the Responders. This is not unimaginable.

It is real. Open your heart and your wallet. I figure a C-note is about right to start

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Vic Socotra