Random Thoughts in the Covid Summer

Covid

We are all tired of Covid. Guess what? It is not tired of us. It is going to get worse, a lot worse. We are going to have to adapt and be smarter. Stay home as much as you can and always wear a mask whenever you go out around other people. There is no vaccine. There will be one but who knows when. With no national leadership, states, local governments and you are on your own. Schools? Make the best decision you can based on what local healthcare professionals are saying, not politicians or facebook friends.Work? Same deal. The economy will recover. But we got to deal with the virus first. Period. 

Women.

We have always treated women here as second class citizens. I was no Hillary fan but she was far far more qualified than her TV Reality Star opponent. Here we are stuck with the results.There are too many people here who voted against her because she was a woman. They cannot come to terms with a woman telling them what to do. Consider this article. There is still  large gender pay gap. Women get paid less the men for the same work. The dehumanizing and objectification of women in entertainment is still off the scale. Has it gotten any better? Thoughts? This is a topic I need to learn more about. The recent incident with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez made me stop and think how we treat women. The dude thought it was okay to call a sitting U.S. Law Maker "A fucking Bitch." Her response is worth watching. We, as a people, can do better. 

Culture War         

This is almost the only front The Donald seems interested in fighting for. He's serving up a heaping helping of red meat for only the reddest Republicans while the rest of us look on in horror. Not many care for nameless, faceless cop / security types beating on protesters. In the middle of a pandemic / recession / rent / mortgage crisis few few are worried about statues and flags. But go right ahead and send in more goons to more cities! Plummeting the country into deeper chaos is no way to win in November. The GOP ideologues who don't want to spend money during this crisis (except on those who don't need it) seem to be on the same path to oblivion.      

Movie Time!!! 7.24.2020

Here are a few videos well worth your time in this strange time.

George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Trevor Noah tries to connect some of the dots over some of the last several months. If you want to get a better understanding of the protests still going on, this is a good place to start.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Full Response to Rep. Ted Yoho

AOC uses her unfortunate encounter to give an important talk about rampant sexism at all levels of American society. It is a mature response to an immature act. I think she is one of the few bright spots in Washington because she seems to actually care about those she's there to represent.

8:46 - Dave Chappelle

Dave gets serious about the death of George Floyd and the aftermath. 

John Lewis - March on Washington Speech - August 28, 1963

The message still resonates today, decades later.

 

 

 

Lessons from Baghdad

A disappearing American right?

The recent invasion of Iraq was about more than oil. It was about occupation and control. It looks like what they learned there in now being applied here at home with recent events in Portland, Organ. I have a few questions. Was this a one off event or is there more to come? Was this some kind of test? How far are the Feds willing to go on behalf of Emperor Donald?  Most importantly, how do we react to it?

We'll soon find out if this becomes a new police (Paramilitary / Brownshirt) tactic. The individual "agents" are being puled from somewhere to carry out this most Un-American policy. I highly doubt there is some huge force somewhere waiting to do "disappearing protestors" duty. I guess these "officers" have traded their oath to the Constitution to one to Emperor Donald. This Navy Veteran dared to ask.  Sounds like the same kind of goons that separate families at the border. HELPFUL REMINDER: "I was just following orders" is NOT a defense. See Nuremberg.     

What is being done to counter these crimes against freedom? The ACLU is responding. A Wall of moms and dads has formed. Will this help or make it worse. Thugs with badges and legal immunity are not a good mix. There are just too many who get into law enforcement for all the wrong reasons. Meet force with force- bad idea. Protesters are simply not going to win a gun battle. More violence is what 45 is hoping for.  Here are some alternatives to violence. Massive numbers of silent, peaceful protesters on the streets with lots of live streams. Veterans, we need you now. Bring your US flags, show people what it truly represents. We don't do boot licking here. This may be as important ...sunshine. Shine a very bright light on who these "agents" are, who is sending them and who is getting the bill.

In the longer term, The Donald has got to go one way or another. This latest stunt will do nothing to revive his sagging poll numbers. Protection of statues and monument is far down on the list of national priorities right now. 50 million plus unemployed, a raging pandemic while the rich get richer and fast approaching catastrophic climate change and the Great Orange Man thinks, "Ah let's crack down on protesters!" Most of us don't like seeing our fellow citizens manhandled and taken away by paramilitary thugs with covered badges. This is even worse knowing the city of Portland did not request such "assistance." And if you think this is any more than political theater by the Reality TV President, consider this... He's only targeting cities run by Democrats.       

Now what?

EMERGENCY!

It is easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged by everything going on. Don't! Evil wins when good goes silent. We are in a very dangerous time. We can work to make a lot of changes for the better as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Make no mistake, this is going to be a long painful process. Vaccines are months away if they are even possible. The way I see it, we cannot rebuild a better economy until we have got the pandemic under control. Returning to work, school and life as it was before and risking your very life is not a good choice. I'm no health expert, so I don't know what or how long it will take to defeat covid-19. I do know our government's current plan of reopening everything and hoping the virus "just goes away" is utter madness. 140,000+ dead and this is the best they can come up with? I understand they got statues to defend, election year politics to deal with, fat corporations to take care of and other ongoing absurdities but damn. So what are we to do?      

1) Take care of yourself. Still stay home as much as possible. Eat healthy, sleep good and exercise to keep your immune system up. This will give you a better chance if you do get Covid-19.

2) Wear a damn mask! Here is why. Don't worry about the fools who don't wear a mask. That's on them. Keep a safe distance (more like 12 feet). Too many "Anti-Maskholes"? Go to another store or go at a different time.

3) If you have to return to work wear a mask, stay apart and wash your hands like your life depends on it. If your work is unsafe- fuck 'em don't go. Catastrophically sick you or dead you cannot pay bills either. It is better to be around to solve the problem than in an early grave. No job is worth it.

4) Stay informed. Know what's going on in your local area. Listen to healthcare professionals and be cautious of politicians who put an economic recovery over your life. Here are a few sources I use.

The CDC's Covid-19 page.
Peak Prosperity -  Doctor who has been covering this from the start.
Duc Vuong- Another doctor. 
NC DHHS Covid-19 Response

5) Help others who are struggling as best you can. A random African American woman paid for my white friend's groceries near the start of all of this. He caught up to her in the parking lot to pay her back (he's well off). She held up her hand to say stop, "No hun, it's about the love." With that, she left. Acts like this all over the country are going to get us through this in the end. Take care of each other without judgement, prejudice or praise seeking is what I took away. I'm sure you too have seen or heard of similar acts.

Have we already reached the dystonia of our nightmares with people being disappeared into unmarked vehicles by people in military style uniforms? Looks that way. More on that soon. In the meantime, get ready to raise some hell.