It’s been a stressful week for many Americans. Boston, West, Texas, and then the Manhunt yesterday (even though law enforcement finally got their man last night). Reasonable gun regulations were defeated in the Senate despite a majority of Senators voting in favor of them, a bill jointly sponsored by a Conservative Democrat and a Republican. We had some moron in Arkansas telling us that he bet the “cowering Boston liberals” wished they had AR-15’s while they stayed in their homes at the request of law enforcement. I guess he forgot the about the mother in Newtown, CT who had plenty of AR-15’s, more than enough for her son to use to kill her and a school full of kids. We had a Family Research Council idiot, Tony Perkins, blaming the Newtown and the Boston tragedies on sexual liberalism, about as inane and hurtful statement as I have ever seen. I wonder who or what he blames for the tragic fertilizer plant fire and explosion in the small town of West, Texas? Sexual conservatism? We’ve seen The New Republic tell Gabby Giffords it was shameful of her to speak out against the NRA’s stranglehold on the Senate and the senators who voted against the proposed restrictions on gun magazine capacity and an expansion of background checks. As if a victim of gun violence, even a former Congressperson, should just keep her mouth shut on an issue that has overwhelming support among the American public.

In short, this has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, but the above is only the tip of the iceberg. Here’s some things you may have missed. The ice in Antarctica is melting ten times faster than at any time in at least the last thousand years, with most of that increase happening since the middle of the 20th Century. Unemployment claims are still at unacceptable levels. Austerity is choking the life out of European economies, so much so that even the International Monetary Fund (hardly a liberal/progressive organization) criticized the British government’s plan to impose more of it on the British people as a means to reduce that country’s deficit. Meanwhile, our own state, federal and local governments are cutting the heart out of our essential services such as schools, and the sequester is gutting essential services at the federal level. I could go on, but I’m too bummed to add to the list.

Party like it’s 2013? More like being trapped a nightmare. Please, post some good stuff that has happened, or is happening, in the comments because I could sure use a dose of good news.