Foursome [PANDEMIC]

(4 minute read)

Victory! We beat China!

VICTORY! The United States with a population of 328 million has beaten China with a population of 1.4 billion in the number of COVID-19 cases! AND we did it with inadequate testing!

USA! USA! USA!

Go US!

I was telling people last week that we would know by the end of this week how things were going to go. Well, now we know. Yesterday’s news was not good. Beating China in the number of COVID-19 cases was not the place that we wanted to be in. We pulled it off though. Unchecked that figure will double. DOUBLE!

What can individuals do?

Ω Try not to get it.

Ω Try not to spread it.

That’s it.

Short list.

The majority of us are just along for the ride at this point.

Back in the day

Remember when the AIDs epidemic hit. That’s when health professionals started telling people to have safe sex. In essence they said that if a person had unprotected sex with someone then they were having sex with every person that person had had sex with. In other words if that person had been infected by anyone they had sex with then they would not only catch it but spread it as well. The more sex partners that a person had the riskier the situation they were placing themselves in. People had AIDs and didn’t know that they had it. That’s how it was spreading. With me so far?

Final 4

Let’s get back to that foursome title. Let’s say four people decide to hit the links. They’re from 4 different groups of associations. When they get together they’re all in essence meeting everyone that the others in their foursome have associated with in the last two weeks. Were any of the people in any of these groups of associations infected with the coronavirus? The risk of exposure goes up dramatically especially when you consider that people without symptoms can transmit the virus.

The lets say that the foursome decides to support their local restaurant and goes to get some takeout. The person that they come into contact with at the delivery point is now placed at risk. Did all the involved parties use their best practices for preventing transmission of COVID-19? I seriously doubt it. Why? Because if they had a brain in their head they wouldn’t have been golfing in the first place! And it isn’t just themselves that they put at risk. It’s everybody that they come into contact with. Their friends. Their loved ones.

So are we supporting local business if we put their lives at risk just so we can have takeout?

“I’ll have a burger, fries and a coke and here’s a little COVID-19 for you along with the tip.”

“Thank you sir and here’s some COVID-19 right back at you. Have a nice day!”

“You too kid! Say hello to your Grandma for me!”

Mission Essential

Some risks can’t be avoided. We actually do need food to get through this. That’s why grocery stores are allowed to remain open. Fired departments. Police departments. Hospitals. Utilities. Transportation (Nurses and doctors have to get to work.). You know—ESSENTIAL! NOT GOLF!

May God bless and hold all of these people in grace. They are truly incredible.

Why do I keep mentioning golf? Where we live golf made the cut as being essential. Fucking golf. This is how you tell whether people are taking a pandemic seriously or not. Sadly, It’s way past time to get serious.

 GOLF?!!! SERIOUSLY! GOLF?!!!

Elvis has left the building.

People saying that going back to work will save the economy are quite simply wrong. That train has left the station. That boat has sailed away. That plane has left the runway. That horse has left the barn. Well, you get the picture.

First and foremost the country just took on at least 2 trillion in debt. This is on top of the trillion and a half that was given to rich people. Now add all the income that’s already been lost and will be lost. If you’re so inclined even add all of the lost profit and lost sales of goods and services. Toilet paper sales are going to be flat for at least a year. The economy? It’s over. Can’t be saved.

What can be saved?

Here’s a radical idea.

 Save people! Put people first! Start now!

That can be done.

In denial [Politics/Democracy]

TRIGGER WARNING!  I’m going to be using the word President in combination with Donald Trump and Obama. I will also be using the words Republican, Democrats, Hillary, Clinton, immigrants, Gypsies, liberal, sexual predator, conservative and variations of all these words. If your mind is made up either way about the current and ongoing crisis with our government please avoid reading this.

        We approach the world from our own history and perspectives. They are unique to us. I certainly have mine. Sometimes through personal enlightenment, experience or education we change our approach or ideas. Screwing up, and I mean seriously screwing up, is also a great teacher.

        And sometimes we have to rise above our personal beliefs and/or experiences.

 

        Now obviously I am going to be talking about President Trump because he is the current leader, and I use that term loosely, of our nation. (This sentence is one reason I provided a trigger warning at the very beginning.) I will only mention Hillary Clinton in passing. (Again remember the trigger warning and go to your safe place.) She’s gone. She’s outta’ here. Not going to be President. Not happening. That’s the way it is. Okay? Bernie neither.

        Watching the current train wreck of government would be easier if it was some other country and if it weren’t for the fact that we’re on the train. We have witnessed what is currently taking place in the United States in other countries. I am old enough to remember the Soviet Union coming apart practically overnight. I would not have said that was possible then but it happened.

        In the latest credible poll I read that 85% of Republicans still support President Trump. Eighty. Five. Percent. I thought to myself how in the world is this still possible after nine months of failure, corruption, chaos, pettiness and failed leadership on multiple levels. He’s a President that has both completely reversed himself on campaign promises and been incapable of delivering on his promises. At least this same 85% would have called for the impeachment of President Obama for even the smallest fraction of misdeeds that Trump has committed.

        How is this possible?

“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.” –Donald Trump

        That’s the answer. Trump provided it during the campaign. It’s as true today as it was when he said it then. From then on he never meant any of it and meant all of it. It was an easy con.

        He’s their man in the White House. Period. He’s white. He doesn’t like Mexicans, Muslims, black people, gays, immigrants, the disabled, Puerto Ricans, poor people, Democrats, Republicans, our court system, public education, the environment, etc. unless they’re working as servants at one of his resorts or hotels. He also has a good-looking white wife. (You can see naked pictures of her if you want. He helped with the photo shoot. BTW How many male world leaders have looked at those?) He likes insulting and making fun of people. He’s vulgar. Lying is as easy as breathing for him. Not only is he ignorant about world affairs he couldn’t care less, and they like that because they would just as soon stay away from the rest of the world anyway. He finds fault but doesn’t accept blame. He’s a white nationalist. He isn’t a President that is interested in the truth. Neither are his supporters. Simply put: they don’t care if the President lies.

        Now I don’t base these statements on the news. They’re based on watching actual videos of him and listening to actual audio files of him speaking. The internet is full of videos of him lying. In one of the earliest videos of his campaign he said without equivocation that he would release his tax returns. No excuses. No ifs, ands or buts. Just straight-forward look a person in the eye statement. Obviously that was a lie.

        Is Hillary Clinton in jail? Nope. But that doesn’t matter. He said that he wanted her in jail. They didn’t believe he would put her in jail anyway, just as they didn’t believe all the things that he said that he would do on the first day. It turns out he has plenty of time to golf. Plenty of time to tweet. Plenty of time to blame others. No time to govern.

        It has taken me awhile to understand that it is absolutely immaterial to the majority of his white supporters what kind of man and President he is, what he has or hasn’t accomplished. They aren’t in denial. They admire what he is. They aspire to be like him.

He is them.