And no, they will never "get it."

fools would ride.

That one's gonna leave a mark.

I wonder how many searches at the app store actually looked for this?

See where the man drowning says, "glub?"

The way the cartoonist wrote it, it looks like "gwb" as in Bush II.

Am I too sensitive?

How about this response?

Thoughts and prayers?! Are you kidding me?!

Many people are dead because of gun violence and your response is to meditate?! Are you nuts?!

By the way, gunners. Where in the Bible do you find the right to use weapons of wars for "protection" or "hunting?"

Regarding the emojis, I can only say this: I never use them because they are short-hand for thoughts I'd rather express without a cliche. When people use them in a serious discussion, it demonstrates their intellectual laziness and shallow thinking. After all, my published dictionary has tens of thousand of definitions. If someone can't find a word in there, they're not thinking very deeply.

In lieu of that, and if I meant it sincerely, would be: You have my deep empathy and concern.

Besides, "thoughts & prayers" is empty and vague, it says little and just conveys an impression, all religious context aside. It is also a habitual, herd-instinct meme that tries to signal caring. And of course, all of it is devoid of concrete action.

Your church was burned down? - TP
Your pastor was caught molesting children? - TP
You need a donation to fight those opposing your party? - TP
You want more money to prioritize my TPs? - TP
Televangelist wants cash to fight the devil? - TP

I remember asking my kind, elderly, grandmother this very same question years ago.

She said I shouldn't let those things bother me, but if it did get to the point where it bothered me, I should relax and count to ten, and then I should advise the folks offering up those thoughts and prayers to keep them in their hands, and then wrap those thoughts and prayers up real nice......then shove them straight up their candy asses.

It was a long time ago, so it might not have been my grandmother who said that. It might have been The Rock from pro wrestling. Hell, it might have even been andrew dice clay.

But, in my defense, The Rock kind of reminded me of my grandmother. He just wasn't as tough.

She was a loving, albeit hard Grandma. Worked her ass off raising 7 children in Depression and Dust Bowl Kansas, taking in laundry and sewing to make ends meet. She didn't hesitate to tell you what she thought, wiped our noses, spanked our bottoms, then hugged us afterward. Left-handed, she broke her left arm at the age of 83, and proceeded to learn how to right right-handed to keep up her correspondence with friends and family. It took a head injury in a fall out of bed in a nursing home to finally take her, and I'm not sure she didn't fight all the way to the God in whom she believed.

Thanks for the Grandma reminder. I need to think of her more when stuff like this comes up.