By John Q. Hosedrinker 
During a Marine Corps event at Camp Pendleton for its 250th anniversary, a 155-millimeter shell prematurely detonated, sending shrapnel toward Vice President JD Vance’s security detail and a California Highway Patrol vehicle. The incident, which occurred during a live demonstration over Interstate 5, prompted the Marine Corps to suspend firing and launch an investigation. California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, criticized the event, citing safety concerns and accusing the White House of recklessness. The First Marine Expeditionary Force stated that the event underwent rigorous safety evaluations.
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JD Vance’s motorcade hit by shrapnel from a Marine celebration. It’s hard to know where to begin, really. The sheer absurdity of it all is almost comical, if it weren’t so potentially dangerous. You’ve got a live-fire demonstration, a vice-presidential motorcade, and an interstate freeway all converging in a potentially disastrous situation. The fact that shrapnel from a 155-millimeter shell actually struck part of Vance’s security detail and a California Highway Patrol vehicle is, frankly, astounding. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to read about in a satirical news article, not something that actually happened.
The comments surrounding this event seem to reflect a mixture of disbelief, schadenfreude, and outright condemnation. The sentiment that “they brought this on themselves” is pretty strong, suggesting a feeling that those involved were acting recklessly. The fact that the US military detonated live ammunition over a civilian interstate freeway is, as many have pointed out, a major issue in and of itself. You’ve got to wonder how that decision was even made. Apparently, some people found it absurd that it was even suggested there was a risk to traffic on the I5.
The immediate reaction seems to be that those responsible were completely incompetent. The phrase “fucking dumbasses” pops up, which is pretty blunt, but it captures the general feeling of incredulity. The fact that live munitions were being used at all is raising eyebrows, and the fact that they were being used in such close proximity to a major freeway is drawing a lot of criticism. The lack of injuries is a small consolation in a situation like this.
There’s also a clear undercurrent of political animosity. Many people don’t seem to be particularly saddened by the idea of something bad happening to Vance. Some suggest it’s part of a pattern of irresponsible behavior from the current administration. The whole situation has become a lightning rod for criticism. The idea that there might be something nefarious afoot, a possible attempt to harm Vance, has also surfaced, although that sentiment seems to be less widespread than the condemnation of sheer incompetence.
The irony that Vance himself, along with the rest of this administration, has previously questioned the integrity of any advice from California, while needing to be rescued by their superior safety suggestions, is not lost on many. The fact that Newsom was right to suggest that it was unsafe has, of course, led to some schadenfreude as well. There is talk of Vance being the Trump successor but with this kind of behavior, there seems to be a real reluctance to embrace that idea. The suggestion that there are forces at play to prevent Vance from rising to power has been made, but there’s a lot of speculation about who would actually become Trump’s successor.
It’s been observed that it seems to be another example of the administration causing its own downfall through sheer ineptitude. They are making mistakes that are so stupid that they will ultimately cause them to fail. There are those who suggest that this situation will be used to justify giving Vance combat medals and updating his records to give him “combat veteran” status.
Finally, there’s an acknowledgment of how ridiculous the whole situation is, but there is also a general sentiment that this administration seems to have a real talent for making incredibly dumb decisions. The fact that this all happened underscores the lack of good judgment on display. And, as a result, there is a distinct lack of sympathy.