OHIO: As of Sunday afternoon, there have been at least 74,932 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 3,174 deaths, and 9,555 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
This may be way too long to post in one gulp. If so I'll go back and get the rest.
reflecting on these words from Dan Rather:
I sit locked in a self imposed isolation as a deadly virus surges outside. Time frames for returning to any hope of a faint echo of normalcy stretch into the many months or years.
This distant horizon strikes particularly deep for those of us at a certain age and stage of life.
Our nation is adrift amidst rocky shoals with cruel incompetence as our captain and enabling cravenness as the first mate.
What a perilous time to live.
I know I am extremely fortunate. Neither the roof over my head nor the food on my table are in doubt.
I have the privilege of protecting myself and my loved ones more than many.
We don't work in meat processing plants, or distribution warehouses, or even in hospitals.
I strive to keep habits and schedules, but hours bleed and to-do lists go unchecked.
What a moment to contemplate the future.
The basic tenets of decency, truthfulness, and compassion are torn across our political divide.
We see scientists denigrated and charlatans exalted. We see the rule of law and the norms of our democracy debased for personal gain.
We see our allies bullied and our adversaries coddled.
What a time to be an American.
But that's just it. It is a time to be an American, to contemplate our future, and to live.
We have had very dark days in the past. We have had deep, systemic injustices. We have faced daunting odds.
And women and men of courage, of ingenuity, of resolve have stood up time and time again. They have said some version of, "We will not abide."
It is our duty to not abide either.
From the streets, to newsrooms, to online social and political activism, I see countless millions of Americans who are not abiding.
We are living through damage, loss, and sadness that could have been avoided.
Much trauma lies ahead. But I know most of my fellow citizens agree that this shall not be us.
I desperately wished this was not our lot. I wish so many things.
I wish the hospital wards were empty. I wish kids were having a summer and could go to school safely. I wish small businesses weren't closing.
Heck, I wish I was at a baseball game trying to not have the mustard drip on my pants. That's not where we are.
We must be true to ourselves to recognize that much of what we are seeing now is not only the product of the last few months or even the last three-plus years.
We have big problems, wherever we look. But we see them now.
And we must do the hard work to fix them, not only through the ballot box but through the energy of our hearts and power of our imaginations.
Whatever despair I might feel is tempered with a hope that is growing within me.
I will not abide, and I believe most Americans will not abide either.
Thank you, Susan. It helps to still have the words of our great Americans. I have been wishing we had some folk protest songs of the sort Joan Baez and Bob Dylan gave is in the 60s. Paul Stookey has made some in recent years, but they aren’t heard often. Yet here is the voice of hope and reason. At least, at very least, this terrible pandemic came in a Presidential election year.
Trump won’t commit to accepting result if he loses election [Click] I don't suppose the White House guards would simply throw him out the front gate into the arms of a howling mob. Maybe give him a helicopter ride to one of his nearby golf courses.
And I suggested to the sponsor of the fund that enough should be raised for full freight at Fisk, which besides being the alma mater of John Lewis, is also in Tennessee (where the young man and his family reside).
That Time John Lewis Was The Biggest Superhero At Comic-Con [Click] Where Mr. Lewis talks about having to lay the graphic novel aside at times because he was overcome with emotion reading about such things as the Birmingham church bombing and the Mississippi Freedom Summer murders, that really hit home for me. For most of my life it was nearly impossible for me to say the words “Philadelphia, Mississippi.” I got over that a while back—maybe one or two years ago. Lately it has become a little difficult again.
On Sunday in Burlington, Vermont, despite its feeling like 98°F, and with unanimous consent of the City Council, volunteers painted right down the middle of Main Street:
Thinking of statues and suchlike, I have long thought that I would be willing to contribute to a collection to erect a statue to General Benjamin Butler, to be erected in New Orleans as a reminder of who won and who lost the Civil War. Alas, he was probably too "colorful" a character for that.
OHIO: As of Sunday afternoon, there have been at least 74,932 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 3,174 deaths, and 9,555 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
ReplyDelete4.24%
DeleteStrange. I know I posted this earlier. But it seems to have disappeared.
This may be way too long to post in one gulp. If so I'll go back and get the rest.
ReplyDeletereflecting on these words from Dan Rather:
I sit locked in a self imposed isolation as a deadly virus surges outside. Time frames for returning to any hope of a faint echo of normalcy stretch into the many months or years.
This distant horizon strikes particularly deep for those of us at a certain age and stage of life.
Our nation is adrift amidst rocky shoals with cruel incompetence as our captain and enabling cravenness as the first mate.
What a perilous time to live.
I know I am extremely fortunate. Neither the roof over my head nor the food on my table are in doubt.
I have the privilege of protecting myself and my loved ones more than many.
We don't work in meat processing plants, or distribution warehouses, or even in hospitals.
I strive to keep habits and schedules, but hours bleed and to-do lists go unchecked.
What a moment to contemplate the future.
The basic tenets of decency, truthfulness, and compassion are torn across our political divide.
We see scientists denigrated and charlatans exalted. We see the rule of law and the norms of our democracy debased for personal gain.
We see our allies bullied and our adversaries coddled.
What a time to be an American.
But that's just it. It is a time to be an American, to contemplate our future, and to live.
We have had very dark days in the past. We have had deep, systemic injustices. We have faced daunting odds.
And women and men of courage, of ingenuity, of resolve have stood up time and time again. They have said some version of, "We will not abide."
It is our duty to not abide either.
From the streets, to newsrooms, to online social and political activism, I see countless millions of Americans who are not abiding.
We are living through damage, loss, and sadness that could have been avoided.
Much trauma lies ahead. But I know most of my fellow citizens agree that this shall not be us.
I desperately wished this was not our lot. I wish so many things.
I wish the hospital wards were empty. I wish kids were having a summer and could go to school safely. I wish small businesses weren't closing.
Heck, I wish I was at a baseball game trying to not have the mustard drip on my pants. That's not where we are.
We must be true to ourselves to recognize that much of what we are seeing now is not only the product of the last few months or even the last three-plus years.
We have big problems, wherever we look. But we see them now.
And we must do the hard work to fix them, not only through the ballot box but through the energy of our hearts and power of our imaginations.
Whatever despair I might feel is tempered with a hope that is growing within me.
I will not abide, and I believe most Americans will not abide either.
Courage.
Thank you, Susan.
DeleteIt helps to still have the words of our great Americans. I have been wishing we had some folk protest songs of the sort Joan Baez and Bob Dylan gave is in the 60s. Paul Stookey has made some in recent years, but they aren’t heard often.
Yet here is the voice of hope and reason. At least, at very least, this terrible pandemic came in a Presidential election year.
Robert Reich: Donald Trump has unified America – against him [Click]
ReplyDeleteTrump won’t commit to accepting result if he loses election [Click] I don't suppose the White House guards would simply throw him out the front gate into the arms of a howling mob. Maybe give him a helicopter ride to one of his nearby golf courses.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, his opinion isn’t in great demand.
DeleteTPM: 5 Key Takeaways From Trump’s Lengthy Off-The-Rails Interview On Fox News [Click]
ReplyDeleteHow John Lewis befriended a young boy and changed his life forever [Click] I know what I’m going to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat a truly great story! Thank you, Alan.
DeleteWhat is it you will do?
I contributed to the young man's college fund.
DeleteOh, and you're welcome--I thought it was an exceptionally fine story and thought others here would agree.
DeleteAnd I suggested to the sponsor of the fund that enough should be raised for full freight at Fisk, which besides being the alma mater of John Lewis, is also in Tennessee (where the young man and his family reside).
DeleteThat Time John Lewis Was The Biggest Superhero At Comic-Con [Click] Where Mr. Lewis talks about having to lay the graphic novel aside at times because he was overcome with emotion reading about such things as the Birmingham church bombing and the Mississippi Freedom Summer murders, that really hit home for me. For most of my life it was nearly impossible for me to say the words “Philadelphia, Mississippi.” I got over that a while back—maybe one or two years ago. Lately it has become a little difficult again.
DeleteWell done, Alan.
DeleteAnd well said!
On Sunday in Burlington, Vermont, despite its feeling like 98°F, and with unanimous consent of the City Council, volunteers painted right down the middle of Main Street:
BLACK LIVES [stop racism] MATTER
STOP
RACISM
was painted in an intersection.
VT: 1350 cases (+12)
ReplyDelete56 deaths (0x32days!)
157 active cases
Recovered 1137
In Hospital = 3 (-1)
Tests 82,500 (+2054)
4.15%
DeleteThinking of statues and suchlike, I have long thought that I would be willing to contribute to a collection to erect a statue to General Benjamin Butler, to be erected in New Orleans as a reminder of who won and who lost the Civil War. Alas, he was probably too "colorful" a character for that.
ReplyDeleteI was regarded as having a 'mild case' of Covid-19. [Click] “I believe I caught the virus very early, and I can’t tell you how long it takes to recover from it, because I have not recovered.”
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump v Fox News Sunday: extraordinary moments from a wild interview [Click] “Facing a feared interviewer, the president ended up insisting that identifying an elephant proved his mental capacity.”
ReplyDeleteClay Bennet on the test… [Click]
Delete