Pandemic Diary Day Three: Acts of Kindness, Virtual Vaca's, and a Growing Reality

                                          Dear Diary,

It got worse yesterday with the growing reality that we're in for a shitstorm of coronavirus deaths unless the whole country self isolates right now!

The cases of coronavirus increased fivefold since last week. Health officials are telling us that the US is at a tipping point.

It's getting harder to deal with the rapidly changing realities. The thought that the majority of Americans are being urged to stay at home has Orwellian overtones to some people - like me.

Disclaimer: I'm a combat veteran (Vietnam/Cambodia circa 1970) with PTSD. As a matter of experience, I find it hard to trust the government will do anything right.

But there's no choice right now. Trump and his minions were truly alarmed yesterday and have been pulling out the economic stops to stem the COVID 19 tide from engulfing the countries elderly and people with health conditions.

Here in Oregon

There was a couple in their 80s sitting in their car at a Safeway parking lot in Bend, Oregon yesterday working up the courage to ask a stranger for help.

They waited for 45 minutes before asking someone to help them out. You see they were afraid of going inside the store and getting the coronavirus. They desperately needed someone to shop for them. They had no immediate family to help out.

The good news was when the woman finally rolled down the window to ask for help, she picked the right person. A young woman took their money and grocery list, and did the shopping for them, leaving the bags and their change outside the car.

Today's random thoughts

** I heard that there's no cases of humans getting their pets sick if exposed to COVID 19. But...and this is important...if visitors pet your animals they can transfer the virus on the pet's fur - not harming the pet - but possibly harming the owner(s).

** I don't know what to think about the three states (Arizona, Florida, and Illinois) that went ahead with the presidential primaries yesterday even though the other states postponed theirs. Patriots, or idiots?

** Scary to think the future of the rest of the primaries is uncertain.

** I have to admit that I'm not surprised that young people are ignoring all warnings and gathering at traditional spring break spots, like in Florida. They obviously don't get it.

** It lightened up my day when I read about a couple in Australia who were celebrating a virtual cruise for their 53rd wedding anniversary.

Their daughter took pictures of them in their swimsuits, wearing beach robes, sipping cocktails, and sitting in front of a big screen TV watching waves lap up on a beautiful beach somewhere.

Now that's the spirit we all need! 

Pandemic Diary Day Two: Closed Borders, Curfews, Nation Shuts Down

Dear Diary:

People are panicking. 

Fear hangs in the air like a black shroud over fortress America.

Can't go to Canada now. The border is closed. 

American cities are rapidly becoming ghost towns as the CDC instructs people to stay at home and not to gather in groups larger than 10 people.

Governors are calling for help from the National Guard.

Wall Street panic. The stock market suffered staggering losses yesterday - Dow down by over 10 percent.

Most people are still unable to be tested for COVID 19.

I'm not surprised that some people - especially Trump supporters - are still trying to downplay the pandemic we're experiencing in real time.

It's true. Bad times always brings out bad people. It's not to say that good people don't step up in bad times, but the bad ones make life even more miserable. Like gouging people in a shortened supply chain.

Here in southern Oregon there's only been minor noticeable disruption. My wife and I are not going out unless we have to. We depend on the local news to see what's happening where we live.

For example

Fear mixed with stupid in Newport, Oregon: Residents have been making 911 calls to the local police department because they've run out of toilet paper!

It's surreal watching Trump call for unity of any kind. His embattled health experts are finally getting through to him and a new seriousness is being projected by taking drastic actions to contain the coronavirus.

Meanwhile...

Our cats and dogs - who are practicing social distancing - have approached Shirley and I with a suggestion; "Stock up on our food!"

I admit to being embarrassed for not thinking about them when Shirley and I went to the store the other day. Don't worry. They have several weeks worth.

Our cat "Bob" was speaking on behalf of the other pets. I slipped him a goodie, and he reassured the rest they'd be taken care of.

Random thoughts

Joe Biden is sounding more presidential every day.

The new "in thing" - is celebrities' announcing they've tested positive for COVID 19.

Hurray for distilleries! Leading the way is Old Fourth Distillery in Atlanta, Georgia, which is now making hand sanitizers and distributing them for free.

Until tomorrow. I'll be safe, smart, and won't fart in closed spaces!

Pandemic Diary Day 1: Senior Shares New Reality in America

Good Day World!

It's taken a pandemic to get me to change my usual posting format/style. 

The time has come to shake things up in this brave new world with daily observations from my cocoon in southern Oregon...

Pandemic Diary

Day 1

Like Trump's administration, I've been slow to react to the colossal changes that have come to our society almost overnight.

For some reason, today feels like Day One of an American saga that will be looked upon by future generations in disbelief on how ill-prepared we were for this pandemic.

I can see future historians shaking their head when they study the part ideology played in slowing down the country's response to COVID 19. Republicans will be remembered for resisting the truth amid a sea of facts.

News organizations are stumbling over themselves to keep up with the fast moving developments.

Reluctantly, Trump declared a national emergency to release FEMA funds to fight the growing outbreak of coronavirus in every corner of the country.

The only person with any credibility on Trump's Coronavirus Task Force - headed by his chief apologist Mike Pence - is Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

I've switched channels to Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC and the one common denominator with facts is Dr. Fauci. I'm really thankful we have someone speaking truth to what's happening to our rapidly narrowing world.

With Trump's well-earned reputation for being a serial liar, the nation desperately needs people like Dr. Fauci to calm our fears with sensible recommendations free from political taint.

Moving on...

**Locally, here in Medford, Oregon, my wife and I, have seen little panic buying. The three exceptions were WinCo, Costco, and Wal Mart. Other local grocery stores were hardly affected. 

**Cocooning with my wife Shirley and I, are our beloved pets: two dogs (a Pug and an Iggy), and three cats (all rescues and one is blind).

**We went to our local dispensary to stock up on flower and edibles because they offered a 40 percent discount on everything! We do have our priorities! Hint: it helps to stay calm. 

**BTW - we were already stocked up on food, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and the rest, because we did our normal monthly shopping a week ago.

**We stopped going to restaurants last week. All of the Sunday talk shows were speculating if the whole country could go on a complete lockdown. 

**I'm 69-years young. Like it or not, I fall into the category of people most threatened by COVID 19 (along with people who have breathing disabilities  or compromised immune systems).

**At this moment I wish our country could come together against the common foe and shed politics in favor of unity.

Finally, there is no need to panic. Be smart. Be safe. Use common sense. Protect yourself by listening to the experts.

Until tomorrow.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

A Reckoning is Coming: Every Elected Republican Owns the Mess We're In

Good Day World!

They elected him even though they knew he was a con man.

They've coddled him like an intemperate royal toddler.

They've cowered before him in the House and the Senate.

They've willfully gone along with alternate realities to protect his gutting of the government. Slashing the CDC for example.

They've foregone bipartisan traditions.

They've traded truth for his fictional version of events.

They turned their heads the other way when he announced that he was the chosen one and was an expert on EVERYTHING.

Experts and political appointees stand behind him nodding their heads like bobble dolls as he manipulates reality from his stump in the Rose Garden.

To all of those GOP sheep who've been blindly loyal to Trump...  

A reckoning is coming

You can feel it in the air as people panic buy supplies in stores that are having difficulty with dwindling supply chains.

You can hear it in their voices; fear of what's coming next amid this pandemic which has folded up our society like an origami sculpture.

Americans want a president they can trust. Never more so than during a national crisis. Not only has Trump bungled the response to the coronavirus, but he's also spreading misinformation about it.

The reckoning will come in November when voters turn out in record numbers to dethrone their wannabe king.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Trump: A Con Man Without Crowds is Forced to Face Reality

Good Day World!

It's already ugly and is only going to get worse.

Trump's adoring audiences won't be there for him to charge his batteries for the foreseeable future.

After holding 100 rallies since he's been elected, Trump has hit a wall preventing him from getting his fan fix.

No more trolling the democratic primaries. No more arenas where followers can buy Trump's racist and alt-right merchandize and hear his rants first hand.

For the first time in Trump's presidency there are no rallies scheduled for the immediate future. It's an existential threat that even surpasses his concern about the pandemic and the economy.

Trump needs those crowds like he needs oxygen to breath. Without them he's a fish out of water, gasping for life in a hostile world.

His rallies are critical crutches where he needs the accolades to stand up to the reality of the world around him. Trump needs his followers more than they need him!

As America shuts down, as Broadway goes dark, as Disneyland goes dormant and March madness goes poof, Trump at the moment has been stripped of his most potent political strength.

This new political reality for Trump comes at a time when Americans are striving to come together to fight the common enemy - the coronavirus. 

The last thing Trump wants to see is unity. We can count on him to continue to try and divide Americans via his toxic twitter account.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

It's a Brave New World Where Reality is Re-Emerging

Good Day World!

I don't care how hard our reality TV president tries, he can't spin the coronavirus into a good thing, or blame someone else for it.

The Lord of Lies has met his match... and it's a bug.

The days of denial and Trump minions holding emergency health meetings in the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) to come up with propaganda are over.

The truth is out.

The Trump regime was not only painfully slow in it's response to the growing pandemic, but woefully behind the entire world when it came to testing for the deadly virus.

In an era where Trump has told us what we see is not real, a splash of reality has soaked his toupee with the COVID 19 virus. It even has his favorite Congressional puppets worried.

The stock market tanked every time Trump went on TV and tried to bullshit his way through the crisis. 

Investors throughout the world's markets knew he was a serial liar and that the US economy was in big trouble and it was only going to get worse.

Americans are learning quickly in this health crisis - the worst in 100 years - to only listen to the experts on healthcare. Trump and cronies have lost all credibility trying to downplay this massive threat to our society and safety.

It's a brave new world where liars are rightfully being scorned, and the truth has once again emerged to reunite Americans in a way only a crisis of this magnitude can.

Let's hope there's still time to save lives by coming together as a people willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Be safe.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Nothing is Going to Be The Same: America is Under Seige From the Coronavirus

Good Day World!

For starters...

A planet-wide pandemic - the coronavirus - has been declared.

America is facing a national emergency because of this.

There's no debating these two facts. 

How we deal with them here in America is going to be a social experiment that's not going to be pretty. Socially, it's a body blow for entertainment.

Elbow bumps have replaced handshakes. We're all supposed to practice "social distancing" a nebulous term that suggests we stay about six-feet from one another, and not go to crowded events...anywhere.

Sporting events. Weddings. Funerals. Museums. Concerts. Parades. Conventions. Church services. The list goes on. 

In this brave new world of containment nationwide, our country's infrastructure is screeching to a halt as the economy gets body slammed by the coronavirus restrictions.

Everyone has to view their daily activities in a different lens in this state of emergency. Old habits are now suddenly dangerous. Don't touch your face. Clean your hands at every opportunity. Don't go outside your house unless you have too.

Containment is necessary to control the spread of COVID 19.

So is testing. Unfortunately, we are behind the curve on both counts. It's going to take a lot of cooperation on everyone's part to get through it. Changing habits, almost overnight, is no easy task, but we have to do it. 

Listen to the experts. Ignore the Trump puppets who are still trying to downplay the crisis this country is currently facing.

It's also probably a good time to catch up on your reading, or other indoor activities.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Trump's Nightmares: Joe Biden and a Faltering Economy Are Becoming Real

Good Day World!

Trump has been afraid of Joe Biden for over a year.

He even got impeached trying to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter.

After yesterdays Super Tuesday II win for Biden, it looks like Trump's nightmare is coming true... he's going to have to face Joe in November.

It doesn't stop there.

Trump's other cause of sleepless nights is the economy. With the coronavirus sweeping the nation and the stock market tumbling and signs of a recession looming starkly, Trump's stuff of nightmares has entered his reality TV world.

Personal fear has entered Trump's alternate universe. It's no longer just about rallying racists by using their fears of others. No. This new fear is personal.

While the CDC and other health officials are trying to alert Americans to the dangers of the coronavirus, Trump is downplaying them daily.

After the World Health Organization announced there's a pandemic, Trump's health team under Pence, burrowed their heads into the ground, cancelling a press conference.

The response to all of this... the senate is going on a weeklong recess! 

Trump claims he doesn't need much sleep, which if true, is really going to be tested with his new daymares. 
This is one crisis he's not going to be able to spin... though he's still trying.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Super Tuesday: It's Do, or Die for Bernie...and the Country

                                      Good Day World!

Don't be surprised if this time next week - in another Super Tuesday - the results turn out to be anti-climatic.

If Bernie doesn't take Michigan today it will be over for his campaign, especially with projected wins in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Mississippi for Biden.

The good news is the party is rallying around Joe (because they believe he'll beat Trump in November) as he gets more important endorsements daily.

The one mission that all Democrats agree on in this election cycle is driving Trump out of the West Wing is the top priority.

There's always going to be grumbling. Especially if Bernie loses in the primaries. The far left of the party was hoping for a revolution, but that's looking less likely daily. As for the so-called Bernie Bros. they can be counted on to act like children.

I like Bernie. He's honest and consistent in his political views, including health care for all. But, I see his candidacy hurting the down ballot in a year the Democrats need to take back the Senate.

I'm confident Joe is going to continue to appeal to all segments of our society, especially African-Americans who universally hate Trump.

Biden may not turn out to be a great president, but the contrast between his class, knowledge, compassion for the little guy, and honesty will stand in stark contrast to Trump.

America is sick of Trump. Add his mishandling of the coronavirus epidemic (at every stage of the way) and he's not going to get good ratings from most Americans in November.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Reality Check: Officials Declare a PANDEMIC. Now What?

                                        Good Day World!

There's no vaccine for it.

There's hardly any testing being done because the CDC hasn't been able to generate the needing supplies and facilities to deal with it.

The Trump administration is in denial of it.

U.S. Officials have declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

The stock market is plunging.

One thing we know for sure; the Trump/Pence administration was, and is, painfully unprepared to effectively deal with the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

The chasm between the White House and health experts has been demoralizing. People are confused about how to protect themselves, and others. Fear is feeding upon the weak response by so-called top officials (all Trump loyalists).

Related: The 25 most concerning lines from Trump's CDC visit

My advise is to only listen to the officials.

With the massive work that lies ahead in fighting the coronavirus in the USA you'd think Trump would, at least, stop attacking health officials for telling the truth.

Instead, the Trump team sees a chance to achieve long-sought goals.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

To Be Clear... There's Extremists on the Left and Right

                                        Good Day World!

Democrats are talking about Bernie Bros., and bloodbaths that lie ahead in the last push for delegates in the coming weeks.

It's not Sander's fault that he has hardcore supporters who've latched onto his campaign like parasites. He's disavowed their assaults against his opponents numerous times.

But the Bernie Bros ignore their champion's stance and continue acting like thugs looking for a fight.

I've spent a lot of time documenting Trump and the alt-right morons who follow him. The difference is, Trump encourages his extremist pack by ignoring their activities while giving subtle signs of support.

An extremist is an extremist. Left or right. I think we can all agree to that. 

In this age of extremely polarized politics, the extremists are playing a bigger part in the electoral process than any other time in the history of our democracy.

Despite being a minority of the population, extremists are playing an increasingly disturbing role in our election process.

Bernie will just have to keep pushing back at his Bernie Bros. and stay focused on getting his message out.

As for the rest of us, we must not be diverted by any extremist. We also should not be afraid to call out their vile activities in real time.

Time for me to walk on down the road...