Mitch and Me (Part ?) Good News!!!

Hello Fellow Travelers!

He's Wearing A Mask!  Does It Mean He Cares About Others? Respect for Health?  Who knows or Cares?
It's the Message That Counts! 
Shhhh, We'll Scare Him!  A Republican Senator Wearing A Safety Mask -Very Rare
Awesome!

This is undeniably great!  I'll never meet him, probably never vote for him, disagree with most of his positions (OK, all) but he wears a mask!  Senator McConnell provided me a much-needed, seldom-seen example of non-partisan, practicality-based realism.  He wears a mask.  He's not comfortable, but he's wearing it anyway.

It's not political, not racial, not sexist.  This virus is potential death and until there's a vaccine we have to use every tool we have to fight it.  A mask demonstrates a respect for other humans and an acknowledgement that there is a mysterious, highly contagious virus.  Senator McConnell wears a mask for the same reason anyone wears one - he doesn't want to die.

Living is all that really matters, surviving, protecting loved ones.  I know next to nothing about politics or disease but I do know something about avoiding Death.  Senator McConnell has a completely non-partisan, practical, futuristic approach to Covid-19.  He wears a mask.  That shows consideration for others, an acknowledgement of a deadly, fast-spreading, unknown disease that's killing thousands of Americans.  We're not victims, we'll survive this.  When we're done tearing down Confederate statues (Really?  They were traitors and slaveowners!) maybe someone will erect a Mitch Monument at Mt. McConnell.

I'm just so happy!  I found a Republican Senator that has respect for other things:  other humans, diseases, whatever.

Another Trump (Mengele) Experiment Victims? The Press

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Rearranging "Social Distancing"  in the Rose Garden
Using Reporters As Involuntary Test Subjects - President Mengele?

I have been writing a letter to my newborn niece, "explaining" the topsy-turvy life we now find ourselves in. I think I write fairly well, can describe places and people fairly accurately but recent events defy description.. I have seen many disturbing events over the years but today's "Musical Chairs of Death" caught my attention.  See those chairs scrunched up, close together?  Those chairs had been spread out, distanced.  "Our Cartoon President" decided to put the "Press" in closer rows,  will some contract Covid-19?  Trump doesn't know or care.  

1000 Americans are dying daily from Covid.  The "President"  has not responded to this crisis in any acceptable manner!  It doesn't matter who elected him  or why.   The only thing that's relevant is our leader is a tyrant!  And proud of it!

This country and it's inhabitants are uniquely averse to tyranny.  Fascism is equally repulsive to Americans.  You know who was a fascist?  Mussolini!  Google him.  Who did he resemble?  Was I right?  Or was I right?  (Fun fact: An Italian mob strangled him with piano wire.)

As an adult of a certain age, I feel responsible for handing a trashed planet to the "next" generation (like tossing some house keys to a haunted house to your kids,"just a noise.  You'll get used to it...")  I mean, I didn't  vote for the guy but I knew what a carnival barker was and could have predicted this, and we all knew it would not end well.  As grotesque and oddly hypnotic as the "show" is to watch, he must be yanked (old timey hooked) off the stage.  You know, declaw, defang, neuter, before he breaks anything else!

 Trump is cheap, right?  Stick a pricetag on everything.  He violates an Amendment?  Charge him.  Offends an ally?  Charge him more!  Embraces a tyrant or the American flag?  Multi-million $, make him bleed.  No appeal either, no Court.  Just a flat fine with immediate payment.

I sent my grandniece a pink teddy bear.  I'll send an account detailing the world events at her birth to her mom, Evie can read it when she's grownish.  I'll be dead (pause for laughter from the great beyond) so hopefully someone will read this and get a sense of how surreal, bizarre and horrific life on Earth is these days.    Can we fix it?

An All Good News Issue

Hello Fellow Travelers!

Amid all the D & D(Death & Destruction, I do overuse acronyms), there are little bright spots, soul restoring bits of real Americans, doing uniquely American things. You only have to look and see examples of invention and innovation everywhere!  I hope everyone saw some or all of the launch.  Today the Dragon docked!  It was great!  The NASA scientists were ecstatic!  It was international, joyous, inspirational and global.  Sending a rocket into space is uniquely unifying!  Age, mobility, even nationality - all are irrelevant.  There is only the one goal, a single objective, and we all can share it.  A global success! A triumph of science!

More examples of American innovation?  I need look no further than my in-laws who arranged a very creative and hilarious multi-state Zoom party for my graduating nephew.  If you've not been to a Zoom meeting before, it's on your computer and you sort of look like the opening credits of The Brady Bunch (everybody is in view and can socialize).  It was so great!   Family chatting from far-flung locations in real time.  Costumes,signs, an amazing slide show, errant pets...  You know what was not present?  Lingering.  Miserably bored offspring.  Dirty dishes.  When you said "Goodbye" you meant it.  Everybody hung up and ended it!    Will it replace family get-togethers?  Probably not.  But for a pandemic graduation, it totally worked!  Kudos to D. & J. for a first rate experience!

John Krazinski streamed a little show from his basement with his wife (Emily Blunt) and his two little girls called "Some Good News" or "SGN" where he reported cheerful, heartfelt stories with ridiculously happy endings.  Brad Pitt is the weatherman.  I look for good news now, anywhere I can find it because I think good news is going to be harder to find in the immediate future.  One of the many lessons I have learned the hard way is the point of view (wisdom?) of playing the "long game".  We will go to ball games, shows and campsites on the beach again .  We will get through this.  It's just going to be longer and a lot more difficult...