Pandemic Diary Day 120: Trump's Staggering Corruption Continues Unabated

Dear Diary,

When the Republican goons in the Senate decided to give Trump a Get Out of Jail card by acquitting him instead of convicting him of the high crimes he was impeached for, they turned a sociopath loose.

Feeling exonerated (although he wasn't according to Mueller) Trump set out on a revenge tour throughout every government agency.

With seemingly no restraints on him, Trump has been tromping on laws like a wild jackass. He feels invincible because he's still continuing to drag justice down into the swamp with him despite efforts to hold him to account. 

It seems like no one can stop the orange maroon's depredations against our democracy. His latest insult to the rule of law was commuting the sentence of his long time buddy Roger Stone.

Stone was righteously convicted of seven felonies, but it didn't matter. The fact that Stone didn't "flip" on Trump like Michael Cohen did, was vital. 

From the moment Stone was arrested until last week, he knew all along he'd never do time. Trump told him as much in coded messages. 

Some sources claim even AG Barr tried to talk him out of freeing Stone. I'm not sure I believe that after considering what Barr's done for Trump since he slunk into the AG position.

House democrats don't have the political will to try and impeach Trump again. Especially in the middle of a pandemic. 

The result; our unhinged president continues to degrade justice even as he seeks re-election under the motto The Law and Order President. 

                   On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

ROLLING BACK
Gov. Kate Brown announced a ban on indoor social gatherings of more than 10 people and an outdoor mask mandate.

Shit's getting serious once again in Oregon. However, it looks worse now than ever before. Coronavirus cases are climbing daily with dire predictions about how many daily cases there will be by the end of this month.

ENDLESS PROTESTS
I can't believe demonstrators are still taking to the streets after 47 straight days. That's crazy. They're protesting a lot more than George Floyd's death and systemic racism.

Apparently there's an ever growing menu of complaints to pick from daily. I don't see endless protests going on in any other city in America.

What is it about Portland? More malcontents? Anarchists? Is this all just street theatre, and the joke is on society?

Quote for the Day; "The whole point about corruption in politics is that it can't be done properly, without a bipartisan consensus." -Christopher Hitchens 

Pandemic Diary, Day 119: Whining About the Coronavirus? Get in Line!

Dear Diary,

It's Monday, and I'm tired of seeing the coronavirus get worse every time I wake up. 

If there was a place to get off this ride, I would. Unfortunately there's no choice but to sit during this roller coaster approach to fighting a deadly global pandemic.

I wish Trump was right when he said the coronavirus would magically go away. I'll take magic if it works. I'm getting discouraged waiting for reality to bail us out. 

With no leadership to guide the country, we're experiencing a circus of horrors that has already killed over 135,000 Americans and infected another 3.2 million.

Plainly put, America is doing the worst job of coping with the virus than any other country in the world! That's a fact. We're a leader in all the wrong measures taken to combat COVID-19.

With no end in sight, my whining about the invisible killer among us is nothing more than a coyote howling at the full moon. I'm fully aware there are a lot of other unhappy coyotes like me wailing out there across the country.

Until this country gets it shit together, the whining, howling, and wailing will go on amidst endless funeral processions. 

                 On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon 

NEW PROGRAM

There's good news for local high school students who'll now have the chance to gain private pilot licenses without charge through a collaboration with a local air education nonprofit and two charter schools.

Students at Crater Lake Charter Academy and REACH Charter School will participate in the program with funding support from Southern Oregon Air Academy.

This is the first year students in both Jackson and Josephine Counties, have access to this two-year-old project. 

Quote for the Day; "You know you're winning when You are not whining. You're simply shining!" - Ana Claudia Antunes

Pandemic Diary Day 118: America is on Edge of a Precipice

Dear Diary,

It's pretty damn hard to witness what's happening to the country right now. 

Watching the coronavirus creep from coast-to-coast like a conquering army of invisible warriors is unsettling to say the least.

I don't need experts to see this pandemic, coupled with the most corrupt and divisive president in American history, is a challenge unlike anything our nation has ever faced. 

Our founders would be shocked to see how corrupt the administration and the commander-in-chief are. They never anticipated a lawless authoritarian rule that would trample on the Constitution they had so proudly forged.

No sugar-coating it... these are real bad times in America and across the world. It's never felt so apocalyptical in my 70 years on this earth.

Every other country on the planet has been able to get some control over the coronavirus because they understood simple things - like how wearing masks save lives and the importance of social-distancing.

It's embarrassing to know the United States is doing the worst job of fighting COVID-19 in the world. It doesn't get any worse than that. Everyone knows why we're in the bad place.

The Trump regime doesn't believe in science, and have been straying further and further away from our best scientists advise in favor of re-opening everything because it would make Trump look good to his base.

That's where we all stand. On the edge of a cliff. A precipice so deep we can't see the bottom right now. We're a country without a true leader in the biggest crisis to ever challenge our republic.

I know how we got here. I also know how we can change course. Register to vote if you're not already registered. By voting for Joe Biden in November the country can still turn from the disastrous course Trump has set us on. 

                 On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

Grim COVID
Outlook
The cases of coronavirus are growing exponentially and Oregon is not testing anywhere near where they should be.

It's getting personal...
One of the many reasons I know the state is in need of testing, is that the supplies associated with testing are running low.

I have a son in the hospital in isolation at a local hospital, and they haven't been able to get COVID results back yet on him because the labs are out of "re-agenting" materials. 

I can tell you, as a parent, waiting is scary as hell! Frankly, I'm mad as hell that the state is already becoming overwhelmed when the worst to come is happening at the end of this month, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Quote for the Day; "I don't know if we're on the edge of the precipice, but we're in a very, very, very difficult situation." -Luis de Guindos

Pandemic Diary Day 117: The Last Days of the Trump Regime

Dear Diary,

The clock is ticking. Americans will be voting in four months. 

I think we're seeing the last days of the Trump regime. 

His followers are slowly peeling away - either because they've died from COVID-19 after following Trump's lead to not wear a mask - or their vulnerable GOP down ballot candidates seeking separation from his losing tactics.

Trump bragged that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and he'd get away with it while campaigning during the 2016 presidential election. 

He better not try that line again during this election. For starters, 5th Avenue has a giant mural - Black Lives Matter - painted bright yellow down the center of the street right in front of Trump Tower.

Of course, Trump bitterly complained to the police and called on them not to let "this symbol of hate be affixed to New York's greatest street."

It didn't make a difference, as Mayor Bill de Blasio picked up a paint roller with civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton and helped complete the project.

It's just one of many signs how different 2016 is from 2020.

Trump is polling worse this year than in 2016 in the same time period. The Republican party is starting to blink, as they realize how toxic Trump has become during the pandemic.

The mainstream media fact-checks Trump in real time - often minutes after he was caught lying in public. After awhile the public has come to understand he's a serial liar.

Republicans already know he is, but have chosen to drink his Kool aide hoping his base will get them all re-elected. It should be interesting watching the rats slowly slink off the Trump train as we get closer to November.

There's nothing Trump won't do right now to hang onto the presidency. He's like a cornered rat. And like a cornered rat, he's dangerous. When his niece Mary said he was the most dangerous man in the world in her new book... she wasn't kidding.

These final days of the Trump regime will be dark with unnecessary coronavirus deaths that can only be attributed to Trump's attack against healthcare officials during a surging pandemic.
                On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

I hope this forecast is wrong...
Oregon Health Authority officials are warning hospitalizations in Oregon could spike by the end of this month. 

They're predicting that the state could see anywhere from 1,100 to 7,300 new cases per day, depending on infection rates.

While making this dire warning healthcare officials suggested that only 20 percent to 30 percent of cases are being formally diagnosed through testing.

We're averaging 389 new cases per day right now. That suggests that the actual number of infections in Oregon could be currently as many as 1,400 a day.

What worries me more than anything is most of the people my wife and I've seen in public aren't wearing masks, despite the current state mandate to do so. We have neighbors who don't wear face masks and who think the whole coronavirus thing is being overblown! 

The doubters are in for a rude surprise. I hope they survivor their own ignorance.

Quote for the Day; "Trump's defense is in his tweets. Insanity." -A.K. Kuykendall

Pandemic Diary Day 116: Unable to Bully COVID-19, Trump Turns On Healthcare Officials

Dear Diary,

If there's one thing Trump hates, it's news reports calling out his lies.

He hates it even more when judges rule against him like in the Supreme Court decision yesterday granting Manhattan district attorneys the right to subpoena all of his financial information, including his income tax returns dating back to 2011. 

The message was clear to everyone... "No one is above the law," ...but Trump. 

Licking his wounds from bad polling and supreme court decisions going against his administration, Trump has pivoted to attacking healthcare experts to divert attention.

Dr. Fauci is a good example. Trump is dismissing his advise and suggesting Dr. Fauci doesn't know what he's talking about, despite the fact he's the most trusted member of Trump's Task Farce.

A recent poll reinforces that claim: A Pew Poll conducted during the first week of July showed a majority of Americans - ranging from 89 percent to 94 percent - trust Dr. Fauci's advise over Trump's.

That fact hasn't deterred Trump however. His ploy is one that only a sociopath would employ.

He's actually trying to get people to ignore the pandemic which is raging in 47 states, and to pretend America's re-opened under his leadership.

He threatens the CDC like a petulant child, complaining that he doesn't like their guidelines for re-opening the nation's schools in the fall, demanding changes because the recommendations were "too hard."

The CDC pushed back the next day (a very rare event) and said there weren't going to be changes made to their guidelines, but they were going to add some more suggestions for re-opening.

In Trump's fevered brain healthcare officials have gone from being heroes to hinderances. Most healthcare officials are fighting to save lives by every means possible. Some political appointees are sending mixed messages because they're afraid of Trump.

Try as he might, Trump hasn't been able to bully the coronavirus. He's only had mixed results with healthcare officials. 

In a struggle for facts on safety measures to take against the virus, Trump has emerged as the chief denier of science by refusing to wear a mask and not demanding all Americans to comply with one of the most important of the three safety measures proven to save lives: 
(1) wear a face mask,
(2) social distance, and
(3) wash hands frequently.

Without strong leadership from the White House, I can't see an end to this pandemic pulverizing Americans. I know two things for sure: 
(1) If Americans can't be made to wear masks, that are not an issue anywhere else on the planet, we're screwed.
(2) The whole country has to work together to get this virus under control. We're needlessly losing lives because of politics and lack of leadership.

That's a damn shame!

                 On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

Face Mask Defiance
More and more local businesses aren't following face mask guidelines and customers (and employees) need help getting them to obey the governor's state face mask mandate.

For the record, the Oregon Health Authority said that a lot of anti-maskers are trying to get away from wearing them citing so-called "medical conditions." Medical experts are saying bullshit, "The number of cases that would require not wearing a mask, are slim and far between," a spokesman explained.

**COVID Update: There were 389 new cases reported yesterday, including here in Jackson County where 7 cases were documented making it the most cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began.

The death toll has climbed to 230 after six more Oregonians died yesterday. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases stand at 11,188.

Quote for the Day; "Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It's a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment. -Zack W. Van

Pandemic Diary Day 115: Supremes Rule: Split Decision on Trump's Taxes

Dear Diary,

There's a lot of people who have been waiting for three and a half years to see Trump's financial records and tax returns revealed.

The decisions are in!

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Manhattan district attorney and Grand Jury can rule on Trump's taxes and financial information. The case was remanded back to New York. Bad news for Trump because all of the lower courts ruled against him.

In another 7-2 decision the Supreme Court said Congress had to narrow down charges - essentially saying they were going on a fishing expedition. The case goes back to Congress who has to tighten up their requests in order to get approval.

It's not clear how much material will become public, since records would go to a confidential grand-jury investigation in New York.

America will finally see just what a crook and a liar Trump is.

His stonewalling will be explained; he's a cheater, and always has been according to his niece Mary who wrote a book - Too Much and Never Enough: How my Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man - about how badly flawed Trump is.

I ordered an advance copy three days ago and will get delivery on July 28th. Looking forward to some interesting reading. It's supposed to hit the book stores next week on July 14th.

                On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

Jackson County Public health reports
no new cases, staying put at 152.

Five more Oregonians died from COVID-19, bringing the total to 220, and 218 new cases were reported yesterday.

The state has now recorded 10, 605 cases of the disease. Right now the demand for testing is surging. We've done very little, which is troubling.

**Scratching my head
Home sales in the Rogue Valley and throughout the state are surging during this pandemic. I just don't get it.

**Some good news
Oregon gas prices will continue to stay low because of the lower demand. Hey! Every penny counts in a pandemic.

Quote for the Day: "...But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." -Benjamin Franklin

Pandemic Diary Day 114: 2020s Leader of the Lost Cause: Trump

Dear Diary,

The sociopath (according to his niece Mary) squatting in the Oval Office has chosen to be the leader of a second civil war, because he thinks it'll get him re-elected.

Early on, Cadet Bonespurs was inspired by wearing a gray uniform while at a military school that his parents sent him too. It helped that he was raised a racist (his dad was a KKK supporter), allowing him to side with the south's so-called "Lost Cause," when it was convenient to do so.

Trump went from denouncing the southern battle flag in 2015, to embracing it in 2020. His latest clash with the only black race car driver on the circuit, Bubba Wallace, was a senseless attack designed to please the sons of the latter day Lost Cause.

It was a call to all loyal Klansmen to boycott professional racing until the Confederate flag was restored and prominently displayed.

Trump has chosen to throw his lot in with confederate sympathizers, and other losers like white supremacists, militia maroons, Q-Anon conspiracists, and alt right groups that deny reality, and science.

I find it ironic that Trump's Lost Cause coalition all eagerly embrace his every word; increasing their odds of getting COVID-19 during this pandemic because they don't believe in wearing face masks. 

While Trump should be trying to add to his base, he's actually losing some of the most loyal. Polls show the majority of Americans are sick and tired of his divisiveness, corruption, and lack of leadership.

Even his advisers in the White House, and Fox News, are concerned about Trump's choice to lead a lost cause during the current social climate and growing awareness of inequality in America.

It doesn't matter. In Trump's mind he see's himself as another Andrew Jackson, or Robert E. Lee. In the end of the day it looks like Lee's gray uniform won out!

              On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

Oregon Country Fair
Because of the coronavirus this year's Oregon Country Fair will take place in an interactive, 3D virtual world on July 10,11 and 12.

Executive Director Wally Bomgaars said it was important to provide a place for the artisans and crafters who have been struggling during the coronavirus to sell their goods.

There's three different ways visitors can use the oregoncountryfair.org site during the fair dates. It sounds really cool. Visitors select an avatar and walk through a virtual recreation of the fair.

Quote for the Day; "Always retain the ability to walk away, without sentimentality, from a situation that feels unmanageable. That was a basic rule of survival. Don't lift a finger for a lost cause." -Steig Larsson

Pandemic Diary Day 113: Trump: The 'Dog Whistler' Whisperer

Dear Diary,

A divisive re-tweet here, and racist rant there.

Trump has emerged as the ultimate Dog Whistler Whisperer in America. Even his white supremacist buddy/senior adviser, Stephen Miller, can't compete with Trump's constant conspiracies' and dog whistles to the fringe elements in our society.

His dogged devotion to the Confederacy conflates with reality: this is the 21st century - not the "good old days" when a outspoken racist, George Wallace, ran for president openly using the hate blacks platform.

This year, Americans are participating in a massive societal change geared towards equality for all. Not just for whites. It's a messy process in the middle of a pandemic, but it continues to move forward.

Trump thinks this is 2016. His greatest dog whistle (the one that made him infamous) was about President Obama's fake birth certificate. It was the fuel that vaulted him ahead of his GOP opponents, lighting the fires of racism throughout the country when we were most vulnerable. He's hoping it'll work again in 2020.

It's apparent that he can't make the transition from throwing fireballs in the Twittersphere to actually leading the country towards unification. The polls will prove that hypothesis in November. My confidence may reek of desperation, but I do have hope for this great nation.

                   On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

Portland is Paralyzed
(July 4th riot in downtown Portland. Photo by Beth Nakamura)
The shit storm in Portland has to stop at some point. 

After 40 continuous days of rioting and vandalism, it's no longer about George Floyd, social justice, or police reform. Anarchists and other trouble makers have been showing up when the sun goes down and causing havoc every night.

Those who used fireworks and rocks against the police are taking away from the main reasons of the protests. Like state senator Avel Gordly, a Portland resident who was the first Black woman elected to Oregon's Senate, said...

"Their (the rioters) destructive and chaotic behavior defines the meaning of white privilege; their total disregard for people, property, and the law embodies entitlement."

I'll expand on that. Most of the arrests for violence and vandalism were white guys. Not the black and white people who paraded during the day for justice. Just bitter and destructive assholes who don't fit in society.

Worse, there doesn't seem to be enough leadership in the right places to bring about a peaceful ending to this standoff. 

Mayor Ted Wheeler pleads with the people to "stop the violence," every day, but is afraid to actually do anything about it because of the heat his police department is already under with multiple investigations of police brutality.

That leaves the city of Portland paralyzed by politics and the pandemic.

Quote for the Day; "We have learned to see racism in the spittle-laced epithets of the angry bigot. We must also learn to see racism in the coded racial entreaties promoted by calculating demagogues." -Ian Haney Lopez

Pandemic Diary Day 112: Surviving the Pandemic and Trump

Dear Diary,

It's obvious that the only way to properly deal with the coronavirus is through science.

Unfortunately, we have a president who doesn't give a shit about science, and who has declared (on July 4th) 99 percent of the virus is no longer lethal.   

Despite the recent surges of confirmed coronavirus cases in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and several other states, Trump is forging ahead with his deadly new directive, "Get over it. Just live with it."

My biggest concern is Americans are going to have to survive COVID-19 outbreaks for at least another year, because face masks have become political statements.

It's really embarrassing to see we're the only country in the world that can't handle wearing face masks to save it's citizen's lives. How stupid is that?

As long as Republicans continue to genuflect and kiss Trump's ass by not wearing face masks in a show of lemming loyalty, the virus is going to have it's way throughout the country. 

The only thing that encourages me a little bit, is lately top Republicans are advising people to WEAR face masks and listen to healthcare professionals warnings. This split from Trump's position on masks signals some of them realize they're not going to get re-elected with magical thinking like his.

I'm enjoying watching some Republican governors squirm like worms as their states are exploding with new virus cases after re-opening too early.

Florida Gov. DeSantis had to eat crow this last week while his state reached higher daily COVID-19 cases than New York experienced at the height of the virus there. It was just a few weeks ago when DeSantis was telling his critics how much better Florida handled the virus than New York, and that's why it was time to open up. Ouch!

Texas Gov. Abbott has been eating his fair share of crow as he's been forced to back up from his premature re-opening and close down bars and other businesses and ask people to stay home.

It must have been really galling for a Trump puppet like Abbott who was forced by reality to order people to wear face masks indoor and outside, after ignoring pleas from mayors throughout the state for months to do just that.

The virus doesn't give a damn about politics. Someone stupid enough to put ideology before their own safety deserves to be culled from the herd. It's similar to natural selection.

Those of us that believe in science have a greater chance of surviving this pandemic than Trump and his devoted minions. Thinking about that makes my day a little better.

                  On the Homefront-Medford, Oregon

Police arrested seven men on the central Oregon coast on July 4th after a racist incident during a celebration on the beach.
(Taft Beach where the incident happened. Photo by John M. Vincent/The Oregonian)
Lincoln City police said the men were part of a group of 10 white people from Clark County, Washington, who had been harassing a black family by yelling racial slurs and using NAZI salutes to intimidate them. 

When officers responded to the situation they had to form a barricade between the group and the family to get them away safely. The group - who police said were "highly intoxicated" - then began taunting the officers.

Members of the group were charged with; rioting, interfering with the police, disorderly conduct, harassment, offensive littering, and illegal fireworks procession.

Another 4th of July in Trump's Amerika with the most divisive president in American history.

Quote for the Day; 

Pandemic Diary Day 111: GOP Message 'Just Live With It' is Insulting and Dangerous

Dear Diary,

The Republican party's final surrender to Trump and the coronavirus is complete. 

Proof: Trump and minions are now messaging a new approach to their losing battle against COVID-19...

"Just live with it."

A real catchy slogan if you ask me. This abdication of safety is the final glass of Kool aid for Trump's minions. Drink, or sink. It's a desperate time for Republican's running for office this November.

This new message, or tactic, is doomed no matter how you look at it. 

Trump is literally asking his supporters to ignore reality and act like the virus is a bug that will magically disappear one day. If they're devoted Trumplicans they won't mind risking their lives (and their loved ones and friends) to re-elect the worst president in American history.

The Trump re-election campaign and the Republican cowards in Congress are going to have a hard time convincing people everything is alright while the coronavirus death toll surpasses 130,000 and counting.

It's a tough sell when the whole country is fighting outbreaks from coast-to-coast and when over 50,000 Americans are testing positive for COVID-19 daily.

By having super spreader events like Tulsa and 4th of July at Mt. Rushmore, the Republicans are insuring the virus won't go away anytime soon.

The planned Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, promises to be another super spreader event where masks won't be required. 

I suppose that's why I'm puzzled. How can anyone with common sense follow our wannabe dictator to death's door just to get his orange ass re-elected?

It's scary. It's a cult. Trump followers deny science for the sake of racist ideology. He's a serial liar and world class narcissist intent on rolling back America's standing in the international community.

The good news? The moron is going to lose by a landslide in November according to a majority of political pundits (from both parties) and sociologists. It's what keeps me going through these dark days.

                 On the Homefront - Medford, Oregon

(Local officers walking through a homeless campground near the Medford Railroad Park last week. Photo by Jamie Lusch/Mail Tribune)

Homeless in Medford

Despite objections from Cascade Christian School, Medford City Council voted to approve an urban camp ground for homeless people near Biddle Road.

It's going to be a temporary campground and will help improve some of the issues associated with people camping along the Bear Creek Greenway.

Both the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Medford police will provide a strong presence there according to the plans.

Quote for the Day; "In the rough-and-tumble play of politics, dog-whistle messages are copiously dispatched over the heads of the grassroots people that cannot see the writing on the wall and have to remain in the cold, like dumb puppets on a string." -Erik Pevernagie