Conceived as a radio distress signal for airplane pilots and ship captains, “mayday” (the phonetic equivalent of “m’aidez,” the French word for “help me”) was officially adopted by the United States in 1927. The convention requires that “mayday” be repeated three times in the initial declaration, followed by a call sign, a description of the nature of the emergency and the vessel’s present position or its last known position if lost.

This month, several incidents reveal that American ships of state have lost their way and more frequent and forceful distress calls should be issued to bring them home, safe and sound.

Here are three of them.

In mid-May, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Tex.) granted a full pardon, including the restoration of a right to bear arms, to Daniel Perry, a former U.S. Army sergeant, following a vote of the members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, all of whom Abbott had appointed. Perry was convicted last year of murdering Air Force veteran Garrett Foster in July 2020 during a demonstration in Austin protesting the killing of George Floyd, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

After Perry drove his vehicle through a red light and into the crowd of protestors, Foster approached his car carrying an assault rifle (which is legal in Texas), and motioned for Perry to roll down the window. Perry shot him dead with a handgun (which he had legally acquired).

During the trial and sentencing........

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