Brown leaves fall gently to the ground as a sign we're entering fall. The arrival of fall means Christmas is around the corner. Premature to think about it? In this anomalous year of the pandemic, a look ahead is always called for. Our very survival probably should be prioritized over Christmas travels and communications.
A shame I need to insert "probably." A willingness to compromise the ideal has been suggested all along. Our national leaders have behaved in a way like we ought to have a cavalier attitude about the virus. The president proceeded with his rallies, only paying lip service (at times) to the importance of masks. It was just a grudging acknowledgment of the steps recommended to blunt the virus.
I told my breakfast companion this morning that someday we'll look back and realize that when this thing first broke, or shortly before, national leaders should have felt it incumbent on them to call for about two months of all-out sacrifice. A total shutdown with masks mandated in a universal way. It would be a supremely inconvenient sacrifice but it would only be a couple months.
President Hillary Clinton would have implored us. She would have pleaded with her emotional political adversaries to please listen and to put aside all the personal acrimony toward her. She would have pleaded to go on any and all Fox News programs, no matter how hostile the questioning would have been. She would have said "I don't give a rip about ever getting a pat on the back from the American people, in fact I promise to never even publish a biography. I am just pleading for everyone to do the necessary things now, and it doesn't matter how far the Dow might drop on a day or two."
Silly rabbit, the Dow will take care of itself. The stock market always takes care of itself. It's only the "retail investors" who might get screwed. That's people like you knaves, the clueless masses with their 401Ks that were thrust on them. You don't believe there are lots of sharp folks on Wall Street who can make a fortune because they know how to pull strings even in down times? Looks like the market might fall now anyway. It will likely be worse than if we had gotten the bad news about the virus right away, and been asked to take extraordinary measures.
Good grief, the golden nuggets of U.S. history have been when our populace has made sacrifices, as with the war effort in the '40s. Americans must be a quite different breed today. Our president was shaking in his boots over a possible jolt to the stock market, i.e. the sacred cow of American life. I strongly suspect our Lord God will not pass judgment favorably on this. We have allowed to pass as legitimate opinion, the thought that "it's just older people dying" as if the books might be closed on their lives anyway. We have opinion leaders like Ben Shapiro talking like this, the same people who railed about the alleged "death panels" with Obamacare.
And so many of our church pews are filled with people who almost seem to worship Trump - not my personal church to be sure. I could name names from here in Stevens County. But right now, I suppose the focus ought to be on how we can extricate ourselves from the current situation. People in the White House are now contracting the Covid. So we might not usher in the Christmas holiday season in the standard way, as even our churches might be closed or severely limited.
I reported yesterday that my church of First Lutheran will re-institute in-person on November 1. My breakfast companion clarified that, saying the idea is just under consideration.
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| Jim Carrey portrays Melania Trump |
Such language: why?
How can we celebrate Christmas, based on what Melania Trump has said about it? Well, we can celebrate it while at the same time trying to ignore the First Lady. But so many up-front Christians want to lionize the First Family and the circle of people around them. The cult members can never be persuaded to re-think these matters, not even with Melania's comments coming out. The Trump followers weren't discouraged even when the president described fallen U.S. soldiers from our national conflicts as "losers and suckers." We learn now that the First Lady said "who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decorations?"
Such eloquence. "But I need to do it, right?" she added.
Well Melania, you can be given a pass for skipping it, if it makes you happy. Don't trouble yourself.
Bob
Woodward's book quotes Donald Trump saying "my fucking generals are a
bunch of pussies." What a scumbag. Jim Mattis has said "the president
has no moral compass." Well, Trump is just president of the U.S.
This
is extremely dangerous, as the passage of time allows Trump more and
more to surround himself with people who mirror his views, do his
bidding. Didn't Hitler create the S.S. to do this sort of thing? To keep
generals in line or even to execute some of them? When will physical
violence start entering the picture? And then Trump holds up a Bible, oh
upside down. What a jerk.
Wash mouth out with soap
This
affinity Republicans have with the "f" word is perplexing in and of
itself. These are people who try to proclaim the moral high ground, but
it's just a ploy to get a certain element of the American people to eat
out of their hands. They're doing well with that if you look at certain
residences around Morris with their Trump/Pence signs and flags - yes,
flags up on flagpoles, not little ones pushed into the ground.
Consider
how Republican Congressman Ted Yoho spoke to AOC recently. He was
pressured to resign from a Christian non-profit board because of this.
His language was in line with the First Lady's, as he verbally attacked
the Democrat progressive. Yoho referred to Ocasio-Cortez as a "fucking
bitch" as the two lawmakers parted ways.
These
are truly dark times. We may have little appreciation of how much
darker they could get, if the "Proud Boys" start feeling their oats,
emboldened by the president.
The news media has been far too gentle. Maybe that will end up being the biggest scandal.
Please visit my podcast
My "Morris Mojo" podcast episode for today is about the big news item: Donald Trump has Covid. How will it all play out? We have no idea at present but it's fodder for endless news show discussions. I can't escape my usual skepticism about Trump in my podcast. Please click to listen:
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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