Corona Log. January 11, 2021

Corona Log- January 11, 2021

            It was a mild Florida morning today, with temps in the 60’s (F). We had a medical appt. early and then stopped by the Lee County Library for books. By then, it was 71 degrees out, mild and pleasant. We had a lunch of Greek Salads at Panera Bread, enjoying sitting in the warming sun.

             Around us, the whole viral panic continues. We are losing 3,200 people per day to Covid-19 related issues. The death toll so far is a staggering 375,000 deaths and rapidly rising. Some 22 million Americans have become infected by the Corona Virus.

             Although there is an abundant supply of vaccine, to fight the virus, the administration of it has been a disaster. Finger pointing, at all levels of government, is the practice of the day. There is no comprehensive plan to inoculate a population of 325 million Americans. Phone lines and web sites, that offer appointments to get the vaccine, have been over run. The resultant effect is a “last lifeboat” frenzy, to get vaccinated, instead of the calm, “wait your turn” method that is necessary to settle a nervous population. The fear is not unwarranted. Many thousands will sicken and die, before we reach the fabled “herd immunity” in the population, and the virus fades away.

              The financial markets keep chugging along like the virus and its effects were on another planet. Oil prices keep rising. The usual manipulations of the market go on daily, oblivious to the viral panic in the streets.

              I often wonder if the Bourbons, Romanovs, Rhodesian and South African Governments, and other autocrats, ran this evenly and quiet right before their fall.

             As if there wasn’t enough tumult, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6^th, making Congressional leaders flee for their safety. It wasn’t an idle fear. Rioters screamed “Hang Pence” (Vice President) and carried zip ties, to take hostages. Luckily all of the Legislators managed to make it to safety before the building was over run.

             The rioters caused considerable damage to the building and its offices and caused the death of five people, before the mob was dispersed. Their publicly stated intent was to disrupt the Congressional receipt of the results of the Electoral College. Congress returned to session, later that night and approved the results, ending once and for all any debates about the legitimacy of the last election. The FBI and local prosecutors have identified and arrested a large number of rioters, who were prominently displayed on media tapes and social media platforms. They are aggressively seeking to arrest and prosecute as many of the rioters as possible.

           As a corollary to this mess, the Congress of the United States has formally introduced Impeachment Proceedings against President Donald J. Trump, for fomenting insurrection against the United States Government. In that Trump has only nine days left in his term, conviction by the United States Senate is considered unlikely. If the resolution passes the House of Representatives, it will make Trump the only President in U.S. History to be indicted twice for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

         Like most people we watch the events of the last week, amazed at what we are seeing. Thousands of Americans are dying daily from the worst pandemic in one hundred years and right-wing knuckleheads decide to pull this stunt. No fabulist could ever write a script like this. No one would believe it,

          We wear our masks, wash our hands frequently and social distance as best we can, while still going about our normal lives. The Arts are still a distant memory in Florida and most of the country. Travel and tourism are non-existent. Everyone waits for their vaccinations, so that they can start living their lives again. Pandemic weariness if the order of the day. The virus of course, doesn’t care. It spreads, mutates and infects every person who comes into contact with it. We get by, one day at a time, waiting our place in line for vaccinations. 

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