Whatever you may have thought about the predictably testy inter-party election jousting, it seems to have reached a stage of irrational and emotional lunacy. Contentions that an attempted assault-rifle assignation of a Presidential candidate that miraculously resulted in a non-lethal flesh wound was ‘staged’ illustrates that dubious mental acuity may be more pervasive than previously thought. The immediate aftermath of this tragic event raises a troubling litany of questions. Lack of ready answers prompts allegations of cover-up and multiple declaration of official inquiries by parties other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation, all to the delight of mainstream and social media. The slow pace of evolving transparency does little to allay public fears of yet another subject subject to politicization. News media eager for headline attention prompt conspiracy theories going far beyond a deranged 20-year-old loner gunman to highlight domestic institutional malfunctioning and irresponsibility as well as international intrigue. The bounds of social media are being tested as well. Are there cooler heads to prevail in the summer heat of election-year rivalry? Phil Osifer