Alright, America, I’m ready for my close-up?

President Trump recently visited a Ford plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan that is now making ventilators for Covid-19 patients and even though aggressive new safety measures were in place for workers and staff there was one person there who was still not that interested in such measures…and that of course would be our own President Trump.

 

Said the President: “Well, I did wear—I had one on before.  I wore one in this back area, but I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it. But, no, where I had it, in the back area, I did put a mask on.  I think it sets an example.  I think it sets an example both ways.”

Wearing a mask, and not wearing a mask, sets an example both ways…which would be?

One needs to wear a mask to keep others and yourself safe from the Covid-19 virus when one is in the close company of others…and…who cares?

Strangely, our president seems very (and perhaps overly) concerned that others might see him wearing a mask, especially members of the press (fake news?) but why would that be since he goes out of his way each day to put on a mask (IE: his make-up) painstakingly each morning.

I often wonder what his face really looks like… au naturel, and who, if anyone, ever gets to see him that way but I do suppose that if you are going to go to all of the trouble to put face make-up on each morning why then put on another mask just to cover up the first one? That would make no sense at all.

Why make yourself look beautiful and then not show yourself off? That would be silly wouldn’t it? Covid-19 virus and infection risk and example setting or not?

But The President later added when asked by reporters:

“I was given a choice and I had one on in an area where they preferred it, So I put it on and it was very nice, it looked very nice.”

 

So I guess looks aren’t everything…just maybe in TV Land they are the only thing. Ah well, Sometimes in the land of the free and the home of the brave…All is Vanity.

President Trump later railed against the United Auto Workers union for not endorsing him…Go figure!

Does Anyone Remember 9/11?

This past month, President Trump has been making a major push to reopen parts of the country as he spoke with the nation’s governors and announced new and possibly eased guidelines for some states to begin relaxing their Corona Virus restrictions.

“Encouraging developments have put us in a very strong position to finalize guidelines for states on reopening the country,” The President said, even as the U.S. death toll from the Covid19 pandemic  topped 85,000.

But does anyone remember what happened in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11th, 2001? The collapse of the trade center’s twin towers produced thick dust clouds, and fires burned for months in the rubble.

But only a few days after terrorists brought down the World Trade Center towers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the air was safe to breathe, but that proved to be a dangerously optimistic assessment because only two years later, EPA’s Office of the Inspector General  reported that the EPA “did not have sufficient data and analyses to make such a blanket statement,” as “air monitoring data was lacking for several pollutants of concern.”

What the The OIG also discovered was that President Bush’s White House Council on Environmental Quality significantly revised EPA press releases “to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones.” Kind of like exactly what’s going on in the Trump White House now.

It was New Jersey’s former Governor Christie Whitman, who in 2001 was the Administrator of the EPA, who cleared the way for workers to begin clearing the rubble and debris only a few days after the towers fell by assuring workers and first-responders that the air was OK to breath but later samples showed asbestos levels at that time were between double and triple the EPA’s danger limit.

And While the EPA pointed to its recommendations that workers and volunteers on site take precautions such as using respirators, OIG said “EPA’s basic overriding message was that the public did not need to be concerned about airborne contaminants.”

In 2008 a circuit court of appeals ruled that Whitman could not be held personally liable for any of her statements of reassurance about Ground Zero air quality which overruled a District Court judge who in 2006 called Whitman’s actions “shocking”!

In a 2016 interview Whitman said, “I’m very sorry that people are sick. I’m very sorry that people are dying and if the EPA and I in any way contributed to that, I’m sorry. We did the very best we could at the time with the knowledge we had.”

Whitman said she never lied but was not aware at the time of the dangerous pollutants in the air even though in the days and weeks after the attacks, Whitman told New Yorkers that the air was safe to breathe and the water was safe to drink. She did however, advise those working directly at the site of the World Trade Center wreckage to wear respirators.

As a result of that 9/11 all clear pronouncement many rescue and recovery workers later developed respiratory and digestive system ailments potentially linked to inhaled and swallowed dust. Some were diagnosed with other illnesses, including cancer…but researchers have noted more deaths than expected from brain cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and certain other diseases like an unusual number of suicides among rescue and recovery workers.

Almost 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Yet over 51,000 people including firefighters, police and others died or fell ill after exposure to toxins unleashed in that wreckage…and more are still dying…and the final death toll is still climbing 19 years later.

Today, another Christie from New Jersey and former Governor, Chris Christie, says that we should put the Covid 19 virus in perspective and go out there and open up the country  in order to save the economy. “There are going to be deaths no matter what.  The American people have gone through significant death before. We’ve sacrificed lives before and in the very same way now, we have to stand up for the American way of life.”

I don’t know why it always seems to be a former governor from New Jersey but…just remember!

Our politicians are not the experts. The experts are the experts. And if this pandemic isn’t over and we get back to normal too fast and too soon and many more deaths follow, you will hear the politicians say, “We were not experts so don’t blame us!” And the courts will agree and the experts will be silenced (for an appropriate time) and all of us will be held responsible for our own actions, should anything “mortal” happen to us.

Maybe you’ll get a monument somewhere commemorating your (not individual)  “sacrifice”. Or an outpouring of thoughts and prayers…but you can bet that the majority of you will be poor or middle class working stiffs who thought you had the all clear, or who really couldn’t have done anything about it anyway because you needed the money and had bills to pay.

Wealthy folks will be just fine. Remember my post about how it will be safe when you see the wealthy athletes gathering together. They will know best because they are worth fortunes and will want to protect that. They are wealthy enough to defy their bosses. They have access to unlimited testing and healthcare. They have direct access to experts and expert advice.

So wear your masks. Be careful. Avoid crowds and crowded spaces. Try not to visit nursing homes or hospitals and do your best to avoid being sent there. They are going to need new patients/residents you know. (It’s just business, not personal) but I have a bad feeling that nursing homes are going to become the preferred transfer areas for hospital Covid-19 patients… after they have been cleaned and sterilized…yeah right?

Don’t do anything you don’t have to do. Avoid poverty, the poor and the places where poor people gather or serve you. (unless of course, that’s you)…I know it sounds cruel… but it’s a cruel world. Beautiful, yes, but cruel none the less.

And if you are a grandparent then beware the opening of school, especially if you are the prime caregiver when your adult children are at work. The virus doesn’t affect kids as badly as it does adults…but they will carry it home to you and you are the most vulnerable of all.

On the bright side, even if 150,000 Americans die from this virus that would give you only a .0003 chance of dying from it yourself. That’s only 5 times more than your chance of being shot by another American with a gun. So to put it in our “American way of life” terms: (or as NJ’s two Christies might say)

what are you so worried about?

I wish us all peace, health and prosperity in the coming months ahead…and may the force be with us. We’ll soon be on our own again. Live long and prosper… as best you can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L…Is Still for Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone. If you aren’t a mother than you most assuredly have one, so it is a day that we can and should all celebrate. I posted this a few years ago and as I read it over, I see that most if not all of what I had said then is still true today…so here it is… once again…

It has always struck me as odd, that most westerners of the modern age worship a god who is male when it is the female who gives life and who is most likely to care for and nurture the child…of course I suppose that this same fact could also support our belief in a male deity because we can always say…”where did he go? And why did he leave us alone like this?” too.

Sadly however, in our day and age, the single most important indicator in determining a woman’s likelihood to live out her days in poverty is…childbirth. If a woman in this world can call herself a mother, she is more likely than not… to be poor. That in my opinion is the saddest testament to the failures of the human race that I could ever imagine…And the saddest testament to the failures of men because we are supposed to be partners with women aren’t we? So how come so many women have to go it alone, whether they choose to or not.

The abject cruelty and disdain with how many men treat women, has always been puzzling to me because all men have mothers and most men have wives and many men have sisters and daughters too…and it is not uncommon for almost all men to become angry and outraged should anyone say anything bad about their mothers, daughters sisters or wives.

Yet many if not most of these same men never seem to equate other women as being someone else’s mother, daughter, sister or wife thereby causing them to treat those women with the same thoughtfulness, kindness, love and respect that all women, not just “theirs”, deserve.

Instead so many men behave so violently towards women that it is enough to boggle any god’s (male or female) mind. But that is the tragic flaw of men is it not? We see violence as a real solution to problems…and we really believe that it is…really…and this belief is rearing its ugly head again as this Corona-virus pandemic of 2020 worsens.

And so men keep putting each other in charge and we keep coming up with the same solution…to everything…even when we are fathers we still think that it is a good idea to send our sons…or other people’s sons off to war.

I know that women send there sons to war too, but I think only because men make them. I do believe that If moms were in charge wars and violence would be harder to come by…maybe…but I only say maybe because men would still be around to point out, and insist upon,  how we need to resort to violence to get the job done.

So here’s to moms everywhere. I wish you peace and happiness and the love and respect of grateful children everywhere. And I hope you someday get the chance to  take control of the planet and have the opportunity to show us if indeed, love is the answer…to war, hunger, poverty, religion and greed…because we men still have no freakin’ ideas.

Live Free or Bite Me!

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

All People in America have the right to speak freely, petition the government should they feel aggrieved or unfairly treated and to assemble while doing so, peaceably.

So what do you think about these protests and assemblies above and below? Would you say that they are peaceable gatherings?

Above we have a gathering of protesters who are aggrieved by the Governor of Michigan because she has imposed social gathering restrictions and other similar measures as a response to the Covid 19 pandemic that has hit that state hard (as well as all other states in the USA) and her orders coincide with the President of the United States guidelines for such laws during this pandemic as he announced on TV and in public.

And yet here are protesters with signs calling for the Governor’s removal because they say she is violating the Constitution of the USA.  One sign says “Live free or die” and another calls for the ending of the lock-down. And still other signs that support the President of the United States. (He, as already mentioned is in support of state stay-at-home laws)

However, many of the protesters are carrying guns! Is that a peaceful demonstration? And they are quite obviously very formidable weapons. I’d call them assault rifles but I know that a gun supporter will write a comment chastising me on the use of that term and then go on to explain what an assault rifle really is and how these guns shown couldn’t kill half as many as a real assault rifle could.

Anyway, is that peaceful? Am I supposed to feel at ease because this group of protesters hasn’t started shooting yet and is at the moment at peace? They do have a sign that says “Live free or die” but they don’t specify who will die if they don’t get to live free?

The folks below were part of that same protest. Here they have Michigan Governor Whitmer dressed as a Nazi and giving what appears to be the heil sign… because I’m guessing they see her as un-American? And below that photo is another one of a woman with a sign suggesting that we should hail the Nazi Witmer while also holding an American flag. She did misspell Whitmer but who can blame her. The H would not have fit on that sign anyway. (although maybe the H in Whitmer stands for heil?)

These guys below are in New Hampshire protesting what they see as an illegal lock-down in their state (really it’s a “shelter in place” order and people are still free to go where they please when they please) but lock-down sounds so much nastier doesn’t it? Something you might hear in a prison not in the land of the free, right? And their messages are also “Live free or die” and “Don’t tread on me.” But with a gun by your side doesn’t that kind of say…or else?

In Pennsylvania these loyal citizens protested also. Their messages were. “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.”  and “Those who would give essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” (Two very provocative comments penned by two famous founding fathers: Jefferson and Franklin) and these folks have guns too. They do appear to be ready for action, do they not? Would the British army of 1776 have considered them peaceful demonstrators?

In any case, this is 2020 and not 1776 and these protesters while expressing their anger
remained peaceful and were not confronted by armed police or soldiers at least not in any of the pictures that I saw… In fact in Michigan a police officer was taking temperatures of the protesters as they entered the capital building. Wow! How nice. Doesn’t America work great?

And yet all of the protesters mentioned and seen above were breaking “the state law” (stay-at-home unless necessary, practice social distancing, wear face masks) which is deemed enforceable by the Supreme Court under the conditions (a health pandemic) under which they were made by state governors. And they are breaking the law while carrying guns!

So, Here is our President commenting about the protests on an Official Presidential Tweet:

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.

And in another tweet he simply added “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”

 

And remember, the President approved of all of these safety measures taken by each state during this pandemic. (Before declaring their people should be liberated)

He even said that the states were on their own and could do as they please because the federal government would not be issuing a national stay at home order…but after seeing the “very good people” with their anger (and guns and signs?) he suggests that the Governor of Michigan “make a deal”.

Now let’s look at this protester: Just a man in uniform with a couple of his friends kneeling quietly during the National Anthem. He isn’t yelling or shouting. He has no signs with no demands. He is not carrying a weapon. (Good grief! Could you imagine what would have happened if he had?) And he is breaking no laws! (standing for the national anthem is not a law. It is considered proper etiquette and courtesy)

Mr Kaepernick’s reasons for his protest were simple and no less important to him than the Covid19 protesters reasons were to them. (Re: The enforcement of Constitutional Amendments) Said Mr. K:  “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,”

And here is what President Trump had to say about his rights as an American:

“I watched Colin Kaepernick, and I thought it was terrible, and then it got bigger and bigger and started mushrooming, and frankly the NFL should have suspended him for one game, and he would have never done it again… But I will tell you, you cannot disrespect our country, our flag, our anthem — you cannot do that.”

And he later added:

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’”

Angry, disrespectful, law breaking, weapon wielding protesters: “very good people. Make a deal with them”

Silent, kneeling, weaponless protester breaking no laws: “Son-of -a-bitch” who needs to be taught a lesson about respect.

Colin Kaepernick lost his job as a result of his protest. How about the Covid-19 protesters? Shouldn’t those sons-of -bitches lose their guns as a consequence to their disrespectful and illegal protest? Fat chance, right? After all the idea behind 2nd Amendment rights is to use your guns to fight your government when you are disappointed with it…is it not? What do unarmed protesters get? Their temperature taken by a snarling dog, gas canister or a high powered water hose?

Remember those protesters in Ferguson, Missouri surrounded by policemen dressed like soldiers sporting armored cars and machine guns?  You can argue that the protest wasn’t peaceful but imagine if the protesters in Ferguson had come wielding weapons like those sported by the protesters in Michigan? What would have happened there and then?

It appears as though we are a country with quite a few diseases that we just can’t seem to shake. Covid-19 is just one of them.

Hopefully our latest illness doesn’t stick around as long as our sicknesses over racism,  guns and greed have…

We should be so lucky.

Fat Bastard Has a Plan

Former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie has spoken and here is what he thinks about the Covid-19 Pandemic and what America now needs to do.  The U.S. should push ahead with reopening its economy during the Covid 19 Pandemic because “there are going to be deaths no matter what.” 

And he added:

“The American people have gone through significant death before. We’ve gone through it in World War I, we’ve gone through it in World War II. We have gone through it and we’ve survived it. We sacrificed those lives.”

And he continued…

“We decided to make that sacrifice because what we were standing up for was the American way of life,” he said. “In the very same way now, we have to stand up for the American way of life.”

So you’ve heard him America. We’ve got to get out there and risk sacrificing our lives in order to save our American way of life! 

Because you certainly know that he won’t!

Kentucky Free For All

Why cancel the Kentucky Derby? Do we really need to pack the stands at Churchill Downs with wealthy, crazy hat wearing, mint julep drinking fans? Do the horses really need diminutive human riders sitting atop their majestic equine frames?

Can’t we just line them up at the starting line and ring the starting bell and…they’re off!

All of us sports crazed, sports craving and sports deprived fans could place our bets from home on our computers and then watch on television to see what happens.

Where will the horses go? Will they run around the track as they’ve been trained? Without a rider? Will they hang out for a while and say hello to one another. Will they run amok, here and there or where ever? Try to find the barn? Munch lazily on some grass if they can find any.

This race could take minutes or hours or??? Who knows? But Americans everywhere could watch for however long it takes, fixed in their seats at home anticipating a conclusion and a big pay day should their horse cross the finish line first. And no matter the odds each horse would probably have an equal chance to make it around the track and back to where they started all by themselves…shouldn’t they?

I’m sure the true racing fan and horse aficionado could tell me if I have a clue as to how horses would behave under a riderless circumstance and I know that a thoroughbred race horse is highly trained and loves to run but…we’ve got to watch something don’t we?

So let them run for the roses…or the hills?

I think the American sports fan is just about reading to watch anything!