Corona Virus Thoughts #15

The number of deaths: 202k.

The President hedges on whether he will respect the tradition of transferring power if he loses the election. Now that’s a new one in American history.

The President is also holding semi-large campaign events and no one is wearing masks.

School buses are running here and there.

I ventured to the big city but had no contact outside my family. It felt strange being there, in the city that is, and I felt relieved when I left.

I read an interesting article in the New Yorker the other day. During the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic that killed 700,000 Americans, President Wilson never mentioned it ONCE during its various three waves. He essentially did nothing. Interesting how nothing really changes in American history. Just nuances of the same story. Wilson did nothing to champion public health. Trump undermines efforts at public health. Perhaps that’s more than just a nuance.

Rain fell last night. It crackled on the roof and I greeted it like the dear friend it is to me. I went outside and felt the rain.

The NFL season is underway. So is college football. The playoffs for pro basketball and baseball are unfolding. I would never thought they would have continued seasons or started new ones during the pandemic. It seems like utter madness. It may yet end in disaster.

I have work to do to get my writing out to a larger audience. That’s harder work than actual writing.

The election is roughly six weeks away. Then what? What if the next virus wave is worse than the first. That’s what happened in 1918.

Are we looking at an election like 1860?