"In a pandemic, everyone is a socialist."

"In a pandemic, everyone is a socialist." – Big Sister Resister Pagrs

The world is coming together to get through this crisis. And as people unite, the natural tendency is to share. It's wonderful. Those with more are sharing with those with less. That's socialism, folks!

As more and more states declared that citizens should shelter in place, most of us are stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Everything is closed now, except for essential businesses and services. But here come the helpers!

Facebook groups whose mission is to share and swap spontaneously popped up in communities across the land. Here is our local group: Santa Barbara Quarantine Mutual Aid. Ask around your community for yours.

I was in New Mexico recently, and there was a lot of news about school systems throughout the state continuing to provide grab-and-go meals to school children, despite school being cancelled. A local bagel cafe in my hometown was offering, along with their scrumptious menu of bagel treats, a cache of toilet paper rolls, free to anyone who needed one. “We got you covered!”  Thanks Ruby K’s!

Here's a sweet story from Edinburgh. What a lovely way for this store to help its elderly neighbors! They provided care packages to them, complete with "loo rolls" and hand sanitizer! Yessss!

I love when people help people!


Free Performing Arts
Now that we are stuck at home and not able to enjoy the arts in person, a bunch of organizations have made available their performances for free.

The Metropolitan Opera is streaming some of its performances for free. But not for long! Check it out today!

The Paris Opera is also offering many performances for free through the spring.

The Royal Opera House is offering free streaming of past operas and ballets.

Broadway HD has a 7-day free trial. You can stream several Broadway shows!

Free Books and Education
Socialism at its best! Public libraries! The New York Public Library is offering free downloads of thousands of books. You will need to download their e-reader app, but after that you can check out three at a time. Check out your own public library, too. They have lots of digital media to borrow.

If the libraries don't have what you're looking for, Audible has made many titles available for free as well! No account needed. Just go to Audible's page here and start listening!

The Great Courses Plus has a month-long free trial of learning modules. You do have to sign up with a credit card, so be careful to cancel once your month is up. I've enjoyed the courses in my car. You can learn something new!

And if you wanna be able to brag that you aced a class at Yale, enroll in this free class, The Science of Well-Being. It's Yale's most popular class in their 317-year history. We need more happiness and well-being. This course teaches you how to be happier! Go ahead! Enroll at Yale!

Free Information
Free access to information about the pandemic is offered from The Washington Post and The New York Times. There are no paywalls for any news related to the current coronavirus crisis. Stay informed!

Free Nature
The Monterey Bay aquarium has nearly a dozen animal webcams that you can enjoy. Enjoy the soothing jellies or the lively sea otters.

Here's a listing of links from CBS News to many other zoo and aquarium webcams.

Free Sports
And if you are missing your weekly dosage of sports ball, sign up for the NFL Game Pass. It's free through May 31. You can watch past NFL games from the last 10 years.

Mourning the loss of Spring Training? PBS is sharing Ken Burns's epic documentary Baseball for free. Go watch it. You have time!

Free All of the Above
Though it's not new, Open Culture is a rich resource for free cultural and educational materials. From language courses to rock concerts (The Grateful Dead is featured on their home page), to free books and movies, to free lectures and courses, there is much to explore. Dig in!

...And Free Money
And guess what? State-sponsored socialism is on the horizon, too! Right here, right now! From the Republican-led government, no less! Plans are being finalized to put about $1000 in the pockets of most Americans in the coming weeks, based on income. That's right! The gov'ment is gonna help us out of this bind with free money. Watch your mailbox!

Tom Toles

And with all that being said, my neighbors should know that I can go shopping for you, deliver supplies, or share a virtual drink. Let me know. If I have it, I will share it.

And if you know any other streaming performances or accessible art or culture, post it in the comments!

In the meantime, be Baby Bear!

Phil Hands

Be well, friends. 

Calamidipitous

At the end of the week last week, there came a cascade of concern about the coronavirus (or, as my brother-in-law resister calls it, the cabrónavirus [New Mexicans will get it]).

On Wednesday evening, March 12, IMPOTUS gave a 10-minute "presidential" address which alarmed the world. It was completely chaotic, and minute-by-minute as he spoke, Dow futures reversed course from 300 points up to more than 1000 points down during his brief speech. The Dow lost even more during trading the next day.

It confused and upset us. The lack of leadership was once again borne to light.

And also on Thursday, it seemed that we suddenly and collectively woke up to the very real risks, and "social distancing" became the phrase of the day.

Still without federal guidance, state and local governments took action. More and more states declared a state of emergency (including my home state of New Mexico), school districts began suspending classes, the NBA suspended their season, there were calls to cancel large and small events. And so, one by one, things were cancelled. Companies told their workers to stay home. Conferences were cancelled, other sports organizations suspended or delayed their seasons, concerts and plays were cancelled, movie theaters agreed to allow only 100 viewers per screening. Keep 6 feet between you and anyone else, people!

Finally, on Friday, 45 declared a Federal State of Emergency. It came as a sort of relief to many of us, finally having him take this seriously. The declaration frees up billions of dollars and puts FEMA into action.

And then, apocalypse preparation kicked in to high gear. And people began to panic buy. Store shelves were cleared out. People hoarded toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and water.

Well, you know. You were there. It felt like we were facing Armageddon, didn't it?

But it’s not Armageddon, nor the apocalypse. Nor doomsday. It’s a remarkable, unique time in our planet’s history.

Let's pivot to the positives. This may be the world's first major calamadipitous happening.

Calamidipitous (from the LSR Dictionary): (adj.) unexpectedly positive arising from an extremely troubling situation.

We may not see it now, it's horrible, and we are in a bit of a panic (some more than others). But what good can see in this?

Children and young people have not been affected much, if at all. This is a huge positive! Though schools are closing out of an abundance of caution because children may be little germ vectors, they have not been expressing COVID-19 themselves in near the numbers that adults are experiencing it. I can not think of a better silver lining. Can you imagine the tragedy of losing many of our precious babies? And can you imagine trying to keep them from touching, licking, picking, and rubbing? We are sanitizing what we can in their world, but truly we don't have the worry as we do for our chronically ill and elderly friends. And without them getting sick, there are more hospital beds for those who do.

Research into why kids don’t get it may lead to new medical breakthroughs.

This may be the event the U.S. needs to overhaul its healthcare system. We know that our "healthcare" system is in reality an Insurance Company Profit System. The insurance companies are in the business of denying healthcare. With millions potentially becoming seriously ill, this will be The Great Wake-Up. We'll see how other developed countries with socialized medicine come through this.

And our paid time off system. Millions from coast to coast will be off work or on reduced hours. The hardest hit will be hourly workers, mostly in the service industry. We'll see that many will be devastated by this, and we may come out on the other side with real reform in employment laws.

Perhaps this will goad some to quit smoking and reduce smoking-related illnesses and death. Studies in China suggest that men there are afflicted more than women and it’s been theorized that this may be because they smoke more. As more studies are conducted, this may be a huge health finding and may be a huge impetus to stop smoking. (By the way, please if you smoke, try once more to quit today!)

Hotels, cruise ships, and other public places will forever be cleaner places. 'Nuff said.


We know what the enemy is, and we have an inkling of how to battle it. Ok, this may be a stretch as a positive. But thanks to science we know what this is and we're learning more each day. That’s a lot more than many of our other medical and human enemies. A vaccine, though off in the seems-like-forever-from-now future, is on the horizon.

With social isolation, there will be fewer accidents leading to death and major injury. Fewer cars on the road means fewer accidents, period. Fewer people at work, fewer work-related injuries.

With social isolation, there will be fewer deaths from influenza, the other deadly respiratory disease. The other horribly fatal respiratory disease is the flu. By practicing our best hygiene practices and staying away from each other, the end of this year's flu season will go out like a whimper.

There may be positive environmental impacts, as less fossil fuel is burned while we all stay home and nest. Fewer travelers means fewer emissions. It'll be fascinating to see what the studies show during this period. We'll have a treasure trove of data. It's already been evident in China as manufacturing shut down during the early days of the crisis. See the striking satellite images in this article from The Guardian.

There will be fewer mass shootings and terrorist attacks during the period of collective social distancing. Think on that! It's a huge positive. Crime in general will go down. I betcha there will be fewer robberies (unless the bad guy is desperate for some toilet paper), rapes, burglaries, and murders. There will probably be an uptick in domestic violence, though. Eeeep. Again, we'll have a great big bunch o' data to analyze once this is all over.

People will develop or re-discover new hobbies or creative outlets. I like this one! We'll be stuck at home, so maybe we'll start reading more, or we'll dig up our paint kit from the garage, or we'll start our memoir. Human beings are resilient. We'll find something wonderful to do!

As we keep our distance, somehow we are finding ways to come together. People are joking about the empty shelves at the supermarket. Networks of helpers are popping up to help their neighbors. TP hoarders notwithstanding, the best of us is emerging.

And, happiest of all, it's likely the end of 45's reign of terror. His crown jewel has always been the stock market. It tanked in record amounts as a direct result of his mishandling this crisis. In fact, the biggest one-day drop in the history of the Dow was last week. The winning doesn't stop, does it?

SCROTUS's main mechanism crisis after crisis has been to lie and misconstrue and hope <whatever it is> goes away. And much of the time that has worked, since <whatever it is> was always closely followed by <another shit show>. This time, his tactic of see no evil, hear no evil put Americans directly in harm's way. He can't gaslight a virus. "Those" Americans are finally waking up to the fact that this deeply flawed man is destroying us. As the Peter Wehner in The Atlantic writes, the TЯUMP presidency is over.

Let us hope, as we face November when this horrible event is over, that this is borne out.

And until then, I remain,
Yours very truly in good health,
Little Sister Optimister

Prepare; Don't Share

By now we've stocked up on toilet paper (so much toilet paper!), hand sanitizer, and canned soup. We've learned which songs to sing while we wash our hands, and we're trying mighty hard to keep our hands away from our faces. We've made sure our Netflix subscription is up to date and we have a stash of girl scout cookies.

We brace for the worst, while we don't really know what the worst will be.

I touched upon 45's response to the COVID-19 global crisis in my post about the virus scare on February 29: COVID-19, A Primer.

In the past few weeks, Sniffles of course was able make a bad situation worse. True to form, his utter ignorance and ineptitude was on full display. In summary, he has been a "walking, talking, tweeting disaster," as CNN's Samantha Vinograd writes. It's hard to enumerate all the missteps from this wart, but let us try.

There has not only been misinformation, there has been disinformation coming from the Whitewash House. Just. Shut. Up.

Dave Whammond 

He doesn't get it, and if he does, it's the usual 🙈🙊🙉. He has perfected the tactic well over the last 3½ years. But likely it's deeper than that. He wants to spin criticism about his handling of the crisis a "Dem Hoax."

There has been increased fear and confusion because of the incomplete, or misleading, information. Here are AP fact-checks of many of his misleading and false statements.

The scariest mouthpoop he has squirted was saying that people can go to work while sick. That's just downright dangerous. If you feel sick, stay home! Let me say it again. If you feel sick, stay home!

But maybe the most frustrating aspect of the government's bumbled response surrounds testing kits. There has been mega confusion. We can not know how the disease is spreading without knowing who has it. Knowing how the disease is spreading can help us stop it from spreading. Science!!

The Orange Scourge has said that "anyone who needs a test gets one," but health officials across the nation report test kits are in woefully short supply. For example, in California, where there has been one death, where travelers from abroad are being quarantined, where thousands are being monitored, where the governor has declared a freaking state of emergency, only 516 people had been tested as of last Thursday.

And he has blamed Obama for the delays in testing. Ummmmm. This virus appeared four months ago. Gah! <LSR bangs head into the ever-growing dent in the wall>

The good news is that the private sector is stepping in, and thanks to the Gates Foundation, home test kits are on their way, at least for residents of Washington, our hardest-hit state so far. Thank you, Bill and Melinda Gates!

He has been characteristically bizarre, such as while he was visiting the CDC a few days ago:




Tell me, if you were going to go in front of cameras broadcasting to the entire world, would you read up a little on the topic so that you didn't look like an abject idiot? I think I would.

And yet......

There have been so many other instances of his downplaying the crisis, it's mind-boggling. Thanks to the Washington Post, who made this compilation.




Huh? A hunch?




He has also, of course, been is shrugging about the risk at his rallies. This, too, is dangerous. He recently spoke at a CPAC rally. Later, a person attending that event tested positive. And guess what? 45 shook hands with someone who had direct contact with that patient.

And at the same event he does this:



It reminds me of this:

Image found on Reddit

Two members of Congress had direct contact with that individual, and yesterday both Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) decided to self-quarantine. And as I go to press, Rep Matt Gaetz (R- FL) (along with a couple others) also decided to self-quarantine after exposure at CPAC. Gaetz's announcement came an hour after he was on Air Force One with The Chosen One.

I really don't wish harm to come to any of my fellow earth travelers, but yanno? I'm bringing out the world's tiniest violin for this one. This is the same Matt Gaetz who mocked the impending crisis by wearing a gas mask to the House. The same Matt Gaetz who presides over the congressional district where Florida's first COVID-19 death occurred. The Germophobe-in-Chief and one of the most odious members of Congress? The schadenfreude is strong in this one.

Mike Pence, who supposedly is in charge of the response, hasn't been anywhere. I haven't seen him address the issue with the American people. I wonder if SCROTUS put Mikey in charge so that when the crisis spins out of control – which it inevitably will – he can put the blame on Mike and nominate a new VP.

The government's crisis response been bungled at many levels. And the bungling is costing us time. The alarm was sounded months ago, but the See No Evil mechanism was promptly put into place, causing confusion and distrust. He's simply not telling the truth, and we can't trust what the government is doing, sadly.

We want facts. We need facts. Facts can allay fears and point the direction to solutions. Getting the facts engenders trust. We need to focus on the facts, and we need to demand facts. Science is not a deep state conspiracy.

This essay isn't meant to stoke more fears. It's just lamenting the bad information. Good information is helpful; bad information is downright dangerous.

So, back to factual information. The Centers for Disease Control is the best source. Here is prevention advice from the CDC. And here is the CDC's advice for what to do if you get sick.

Go. Read. Do.

The long and short of the advice is: prepare your home and your family. Have a little extra food and medications on hand; keep your hands and your belongings clean; don't share your germs! Don't share your personal items or air space if you get sick.

LSR's motto: Prepare; don't share. 

Except: Let's share our hoards of TP with friends and neighbors. Stay in touch. If you feel sick and can't get to the store, ask for help. It's easy to leave stuff on each other's porches. Friends, if you need cough medicine, TP, or homemade cookies, call me!

Stay informed and prepare. Besides the CDC, consult reputable medical and media sites. Here is the World Health Organization's information. Here is a great bunch of information, including a set of data  and an interactive map, from Johns Hopkins. WaPo is keeping their pulse on the crisis with live updates.

Remember, you aren't just protecting yourself, but more importantly you are protecting the most vulnerable among us, the elderly and the chronically ill. Do your part.

Don't panic. And keep a sense of humor.

And to that end:

March Fourth!

I have another project in mind for 2021, so I don't really intend to continue this blog once we elect a new president, but with the urge to write after the Super Tuesday primary, I may end up chiming in. The political virus bit me hard! 

Now that Super Tuesday is over, March Fourth! 

First, I want to say how great it was that California was part of Super Tuesday for the first time. Finally we got to be part of the conversation, instead of waiting until June to vote, when everyone had gone home. 

I found the Super Tuesday results really exciting! I was saddened and disappointed that Elizabeth Warren didn't do better. It's a whole 'nother topic to discuss: the culture of sexism that we suffer. I’m relieved Bloomberg didn’t do better spectacularly went down in flames (you can’t buy our votes, Bub!). But in the end, I’m excited that the field has been winnowed.

I watched the returns on ABC News, and they reported some exit polls which were particularly cool. First, many folks decided last-minute who to vote for. This is partly due to the field being reduced last minute, with Steyer, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg dropping out, but I also believe that this is a sign of the party becoming united. We have no use for tribalism.

Furthermore, exit polls indicated that upwards of 80%-90% of people will vote for the ultimate candidate, even if that candidate is not their first or second choice. This is great stuff! 

I'm also excited about Biden's momentum. 

Hear me out.

I am as progressive as many of my sister and brother resisters. Put me in the "very liberal" column if you poll me. I love the idea of Medicare for All, and I think it can be done. Medicare for Many of Us works really well! I want to erase student debt; I want to expand public education and make college and trade schools accessible to all. I want government to help the less fortunate. I love the progressive agenda. I am a bleeding-heart lib'ral and have been for most of my life. The progressive train has been chugging since FDR, and I'm confident it will continue to chug, even when there are big hills to climb. I am enamored with Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie has great ideas! 

But despite his faults – and he has a few – Biden is a good choice. In the end, we need someone who can get us out of this mess. Biden can do it. 

Here are a few points from this article: So Biden wasn't your top choice. Want to hear the good news?

He can bring the progressive wing along with his choice of VP. 

"Joe Biden will almost certainly name Stacey Abrams as his VP. The right-wing will claim that he is appointing her based on the fact-that she is a woman of color, as opposed to accepting her for her merit on one very important subject: Gerrymandering. The office of the VP doesn’t have a lot of power but overseeing a national reform of our elections is a project perfectly suited for the office, and Abrams, regardless of race or gender, is perfectly suited to address that issue. That she is a woman of color is a just a bonus."

No matter which one takes the nomination, the pick of VP is hugely important for invigorating the party. He should choose someone with two or more qualities: woman (probably this should be a given); younger; opposite philosophy (Biden should choose a progressive; Bernie should choose a moderate); person of color. Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris fit those qualifications well. Warren would do that for Biden. ♥️

Like it or not, there is a faction of the left that isn’t ready for far-left ideals. Biden can pull them in, and this will be good for down-ticket races. 

"The American people will be FAR more likely to give Democrats control of Senate with Biden vs. other candidates. We on the left all love positions and various attributes of Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg, etc. but let’s face it – some key demographics of this country aren’t ready for it. The 2016 elections were decided by around 3 points. Independents, Christians, Senior Citizens, the South, etc. Swing elections. Biden appeals to all of these demographics, while other candidates were very polarizing among them."

Biden is committed to preserving and improving Obama’s hat pin, the Affordable Care Act.

"Biden will fortify ACA and perhaps even get us a Public Option.
Both Biden and Abrams are strong supporters of fortifying ACA and getting rid of elements of the plan that could make it even more beneficial than M4A. Particularly, a strong public option could give us the best of both worlds on healthcare issues." 

I’m confident that Medicare for All will happen eventually. The conversation has started in a real way. People are coalescing behind the idea. The idea isn’t going away. And again, we need to vote in progressive Members of Congress. THOSE are the people who will make Medicare for All a reality.

And Joe is a good choice for working with an obstructive Congress if it doesn’t move left. 

"Joe Biden is the best chance at getting an obstructionist GOP Senate to work with him. He knows every Senator with any tenure in the halls of congress, and most of the Representatives. He doesn’t need to build political capital with them, as he has spent decades as one of them doing exactly that. While a Sanders or Warren presidency would have brought about key, necessary systemic changes, it would have been a fight to do so every step of the way. With Biden, actual progress is possible as out of all the candidates, he has the best chance of getting both sides of the aisle working together."

He’ll get a rousing endorsement from Obama and we WILL defeat 45 in the general election. 

"Obama and his coalition will activate to defeat Trump. We will see it as soon as today, the Obama machine (which is considerable) will activate for Joe. Prior to Super Tuesday, this would have been a bad idea and risky, as it was important to Obama (based on statements) that the primaries be fair and unencumbered with bias. Despite outcry, Tom Perez has done a fairly decent job of this, and Obama has done a great job staying out of the fray. That will change today."

He’ll work to bring competent people, and hopefully some progressive voices, to the cabinet. 

"It’s not about Biden as president, it is appointing who he appoints.
The biggest swaths of damage that Trump is responsible for isn’t just in his actions, it is in who he appoints. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to SCOTUS, Pruitt to EPA, DeVos to education, Zinke and Bernhardt to the interior, and any magnate or lobbyist who could gain from sacking their department as appointment to every department. The damage that three years of this has done to our country will be felt for decades. Biden already has a mechanism in place to restore these agencies by choosing people he knows, has worked with, and understands how to reverse that damage in place."

He’s a good man. He’s a good politician. He will lead well.

"He’s actually a good person, with a genuine history of doing the right thing. Has he had missteps in DACA votes, SCOTUS controversy, and some votes he was involved in decades and an entire generation ago? Yes, who hasn’t. Line up his controversies next to Trump, and we quickly see that 4 bad decisions in 40+ years of government service is actually pretty phenomenal."

Stephen Colbert does a great impression of him (ok, Colbert also does a great Bernie).

And Jill Biden though! Sign her up for the Secret Service! That woman will defend Joe with her life! 

Let's concentrate on removing 45! We have no use for tribalism. Bernie supporters, keep supporting him! We need loud progressive voices! Biden supporters, you too! Promote him well! But to all of you, I implore: As we go forward, as you keep promoting your candidate, don't disparage the other. Keep talking about your candidate’s ideas. We want them and we need them! We also need to get out of this mess, and we can only do that if EVERYONE shows up to the polls on November 3. No matter who gets the nomination, we will need to also focus on progressive tickets in the House and Senate. Those races are of vital importance if we are going to make change. The president can't do it by himself.

I hope, and I'm confident, that by the time a candidate is gelled, all of the others who have run will strongly and unequivocally endorse him. And you, too, no matter who you backed. It's important that we coalesce. Keep talking about ideas, but let's stay positive. No trash talkin'! We have to stick together! We need every. Single. Voter.

And until then.... #Resist!

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19: A Primer

It's on everyone's lips. (NO! Not literally, we hope!). Coronavirus.

No, it's not this....

 Americans are avoiding Corona beer amid coronavirus outbreak, survey finds. 

....though we may need to toss back a couple to cope with this near-pandemic.

It's this:

This coronavirus is a novel respiratory virus spreading rapidly around the world. It's a great concern to people all over our whole planet. It has spread to every continent except Antarctica.

Part of the reason I write this blog is to digest information for myself; I learn as I write. You, my dear readers, get to come along with me. Join me as I divert a bit from politics for a Q & A on this important topic.

THE SHORT VERSION

CORONAVIRUS IS A NEW, POTENTIALLY DEADLY VIRUS for which no human has immunity.

WASH YOUR HANDS. Thoroughly and often.

DON'T PANIC. Prepare as if you were going to have to spend a couple weeks sick at home.

STAY HOME IF YOU'RE SICK! Most coronavirus infections are mild, but a subset of people will get very sick. STAY HOME even if you feel mildly sick.

STAY AWAY FROM SICK PEOPLE. Stay at least six feet away from anyone who appears to be sick.

THE LONGER VERSION

What is the coronavirus? This coronavirus is a new virus that emerged in China late last year. Coronavirus is the name for a group of respiratory viruses, many of which cause the common cold. This novel coronavirus is named COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease - 2019). This is a new disease not previously seen in humans, and is believed to have been passed to humans from animals. Now, it is spreading human-to-human.

As of this morning, there have been three cases in the U.S. (in northern California, Oregon, and Washington) that have contracted the virus through community exposure. This is concerning, as before this week all other cases were traced back to travel in China.

How is this coronavirus different? As it is an animal-to-human virus, no human has an immunity to it. And this virus has properties which make it both mild and severe. While 80% of cases exhibit mild symptoms, like a cold, and fully recover, the virus can also lead to pneumonia or other severe complications, and the death rate is about 2%. Compare this to the death rate of influenza, which is 0.1%.

Are we all going to die? NO! About 80% of cases have mild symptoms, while about 13.8% of patients experience severe illness, with shortness of breath, or requiring supplemental oxygen. About 4.7% experience critical illness, meaning they face respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, or septic shock. So far, it looks like about 2.3% of people infected with COVID-19 die from the virus.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19 infection? Initial symptoms are fever, cough, shortness of breath. Respiratory symptoms can worsen and develop into pneumonia or respiratory failure. Some infected people show no symptoms at all.

What are the traits of this virus? Incubation is between 2-14 days, it is believed. It is unknown how long the virus can live on surfaces. It appears that children are less susceptible to the virus, or at least they show fewer or no symptoms if infected. There have been reports of re-infection or a latency of expression of symptoms with this virus.

What should I do if I feel sick? Stay home! Stay away from other people, as well as pets (though unlikely to spread to animals, we just don't know enough about this virus to know if it can be transmitted to other species). Wear a mask if you come into contact with others (the CDC does not recommend wearing a mask if you are well. We need to conserve resources, and it gives a false sense of security). Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Throw tissues away in a lined can, and immediately wash your hands. Don't share eating utensils or other personal items; sanitize items touched frequently, such as doorknobs, handles, remote controls, computers, phones. If you feel sick enough to get medical treatment, call ahead before seeking medical assistance and let them know you may have COVID-19.

How can I prevent becoming infected? How can I prevent others from getting sick? Use the same common-sense ways you avoid getting sick at other times:

• WASH YOUR HANDS. The CDC recommends the following:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

• Avoid contact with sick people.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth. 

• STAY HOME if you are sick. Even if you display mild symptoms, STAY HOME! 

• Monitor your symptoms. If you feel worse or your fever becomes elevated, call ahead to your medical provider and wear a mask (N-95 is best) to get medical treatment.

• The CDC does not recommend that well people wear masks to prevent getting sick. They do recommend a mask if you are infected or taking care of someone who is infected. 

Is there any treatment? What about a vaccine? There is no direct treatment or cure. Like a cold or the flu, treatment consists of rest and fluids for mild cases. If the disease becomes severe, hospitalization may be necessary to support body systems. The virus is too new to have a vaccine. Though scientists are working on it, an effective vaccine is about 12-18 months away.

How should I prepare? Stock up on prescription medications, fever reducers, nonperishable foods, and comfort foods for if you feel sick, as well as things like toilet paper, tissues, toothpaste. Be prepared to stay home for about two weeks if you get sick. Buy some alcohol wipes and sanitizing wipes for household surfaces. Have plenty of soap and hand sanitizer at home. Pick up a six-pack of Corona beer (hey, the company is hurting!).

What are the health dangers? As stated above, because 20% of cases can lead to severe complications requiring hospitalization and 2% of cases leading to death, we face a frightening scenario.

What are the social dangers? We all will need to be very aware and cautious in our social interactions. Be prepared to curtail your social interactions if there is an outbreak in your community. One way to prevent the spread of the disease is through social distancing. Social distancing is, quite simply put, staying home and minimizing social contact. Stay away from congregate activities; maximize the outings you do have, for example, buy larger quantities when you shop or shop for your neighbor as well; eat at home; work from home; limit travel on public transportation; maintain a distance of 6 feet from others. We introverts will feel quite comfortable giving in to our base instincts and cocooning at home a bit more!

People or communities may have to be quarantined; schools may close; businesses may shutter; healthcare systems may be overloaded.

What are the economic dangers? Fear of the unknown is causing jittery stocks. We've already seen worldwide stock markets tank this week on the fear of future economic repercussions. A larger economic slowdown is likely. Our healthcare system may become overburdened. Borders may be shut (some already have), with tourism and trade interrupted. There may be severe economic repercussions, with the drastic slow-down of commerce.

Should I worry about items packed and shipped from China? Experts do not know yet how long this virus lives on surfaces. In general, coronaviruses can live up to nine days on surfaces in ideal conditions. The official word from the CDC is "there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods, and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods."

Should I shun all people of Chinese descent? NO! Please please please don't let this turn into a racial thing! The disease originated in China, but there is nothing special about China or Chinese people with regard to this disease. Unfortunately, the disease has spread rapidly not only in China, but also in South Korea, Italy, and Iran. We must not fall into the trap of letting this cast a bias against any of our fellow Earth travelers.

What about this "it will be gone when it gets warm in April" that I heard about from the "president"? Remember, the man who promoted this theory is an idiot and self-serving. We do not know enough to know if warmer temperatures will change the disease's transmission. We just don't know, and we must be prepared for a change in the weather to have no impact. Stay alert, stay informed, stay prepared.

How can I learn more? Here is a fact sheet from the CDC. It's chock-full of information. And here are some myth-busters. If you prefer myth-busting in video form, check out the video below.




What has the U.S. Government response been? Oh ho! You know I'd go there! Short answer: It's been ugly. Chaotic. And political.

Just as a taster, here is a recent quote from 45, the supposed leader of the free world, during a press conference addressing the epidemic.

The president* has been all over the place. True to form, he is playing the blame game, and mostly concerned about the stock market drop, blaming – who else – Democrats and the media. And of course, he has manufactured conspiracy theories about the outbreak, calling on his base to consider the whole epidemic a hoax. It's just gross. Not only gross, this rehtoric is extremely dangerous. As much as I dislike his base, I do not want them to come to harm! A worldwide pandemic is not a deep state conspiracy. Take your paranoid delusions, sir, and fuck right off.

Last week, as the situation was developing rapidly, 45 went against CDC recommendations for repatriating infected Americans, and then became angry with the CDC leadership for allowing them to fly into the United States. When Americans were brought home, healthcare workers from Health and Human Services were ill equipped, both in training and in equipment, to safely respond to the health crisis. Gah!

The impotent response has been laid bare by 45's 2018 firing of the CDC's pandemic response team. And in fact, there are currently 700 vacancies at the CDC.

The CDC is doing a good job with what it has. Here is what the U.S's response has been. The CDC is educating the public and healthcare workers, performing screenings on travelers, and managing the risk of infection. Unfortunately, with the lack of high-level experts in pandemics, the U.S. may fall way behind in its response

IMPOTUS has named V.P. Mike Pence to head up the official response. This, a man who gravely endangered public health by allowing an HIV outbreak to run rampant in Indiana while he was governor. This, a man who has a distinct distaste for science.

Let Seth Meyers break it all down for you.




This week, Congress allocated a paltry couple billion dollars for the response, at 45's request. He intends half of the money to be diverted from other programs, including a good chunk originally destined for ebola response. Ebola isn't going away. What is his reasoning? Oh, that's right. The man don't reason.

We may witness the biggest test yet of our broken healthcare system, when people who cannot afford heath insurance delay treatment, and go to work sick because they can't afford to stay home. This is a perfect storm that may affect us in ways yet unimagined.

Stay safe out there, Resisters.

Dictatorship 101

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who I am learning quickly to despise, said this:

"I believe that the president has learned from this case.... The president has been impeached — that's a pretty big lesson. I'm voting to acquit because I do not believe that the behavior alleged reaches the high bar in the Constitution for overturning an election and removing a duly elected president.... I believe he will be much more cautious in the future."

She's right. He's learned a lesson, and so have we all. By leaving a despot in power, the GOP is teaching a powerful set of lessons.

The lessons learned are contained in the new University of the United States course entitled:

"Dictatorship 101. No Reins: An Unfettered March Toward Authoritarianism." 

Unfortunately, we are all required to take this course. The lecturer is awful, but we must attend. The lecture hall holds 330,294,221, so take a seat. Be sure to bring water. It's a course that will last 37 weeks.


Dictatorship 101 Syllabus:

We'll explore the lessons learned when a presidential impeachment fails to remove a despot from power. We'll examine the recent, as well as the ongoing, ways that authoritarianism threatens to overturn 243 years of our Democratic Republic.

Lesson One: Overview: "When you are President you can do anything you want."  
We look at the ways an acquittal emboldens a dictator. 

Topic:

• Go ahead and say it: "I am the King."

Lesson Two: Using Foreign Interference in Influencing Elections.
We'll see how cowards in the Republican party shrug their shoulders when presented with overwhelming evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. Constitution too thick for your paper shredder? We'll explore other ways to destroy it.

Topics:

• Congress says it's ok, so go ahead and ask your boyfriend Putie the Cutie to hack and propagandize
• Reinforcing a debunked theory: repeat the false Ukraine narrative enough and it becomes fact! 

Lesson Three: Witness Tampering and Intimidation.  
We'll explore the fine art of witness intimidation, from live-tweeting threats during witness testimony to soliciting surrogates to out whistleblowers.

Topics: 

• Retaliation works! Punishing patriots who tell the truth will send a message to other potential witnesses to keep their traps shut
• Targeting family members: using North Korea tactics can help you achieve dictatorship faster 
• Million dollar donors: Don't think you're safe. If you cross me, I'll fire you
• The threat of violence and its effectiveness in quashing insubordination

Lesson Four: Trashing the Rule of Law. 
The meat of the dictatorship: eliminating the rule of law. Learn how using a corrupt attorney general to act as your personal attorney while undermining dozens of ethical federal prosecutors. Learn to present alternative facts as well as the AG's art of plausible deniability.

Topics: 

• Politicizing the Department of Justice by strong-arming prosecutors to change sentencing recommendations for your friends
• Three years later: Revisiting the Michael Flynn case. Now I can get him out of jail free, too!
• Filtering the noise: Ignoring a chorus of alarm from 1,100 DOJ officials. What worked for Kavenaugh can work for the AG! 
• Overstepping ethical and legal boundaries: Proclaiming your "right to interfere" in criminal cases

Lesson Five: Undermining Checks and Balances by Stacking the Judiciary.
Part Two of Trashing the Rule of Law. We explore how putting sympathetic judges on the bench can help meet corrupt goals faster.

Topics:

• Confirming record numbers of federal judges with the help of a corrupt Senate Leader
•  Choosing a corrupt Supreme Court Justice: rewarding malfeasance and rape 
• Authoritarian governments' tricky relationship with the judiciary. Stacking the deck

Lesson Six: Undermining Checks and Balances by Intimidating Members of the Legislative Branch.
We examine how lies, bullying, and pandering to an uninformed, rabid base can keep Repugs in line. Learn how keeping one's Congressional seat defeats supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States in every case.

Topics: 

• Using Twitter to intimidate Members of Congress 
• Pandering to your base 
• Insulting those who have disagreed with you
• The ins and outs of propaganda: conspiring with Putie to control the narrative on social media
• Managing the ally/enemy balance: the art of faint praise vs. intimidation and bullying 

Lesson Seven: Part 1: Corruption Happens in Darkness.
We see how secret meetings and conversations can get around pesky do-gooders.

Topics:

• Stop letting others listen in to calls with foreign leaders
• Having 1:1 meetings with the world's enemy, V. Putin
• The benefits of confiscating interpreters' notes during meetings with other despots 

Lesson Eight: Part 2: Corruption is Deemed Acceptable if Done in the Sunlight.
We look at the converse: how proclaiming your crimes out loud can bring down suspicion that what you're doing is wrong.

Topics:

• If I do it in the open, no one will think it is wrong 
• Admitting your crimes: the GOP doesn't care!
• Going against your AG: 'fessing up 
• Using an apathetic electorate to your advantage. 

Lesson Nine: Distorting Reality.
The oldest and most effective method to destroy a nation. Lie, lie, lie.

Topics:

• Forcing your sycophants to repeatedly call impeachment "overturning an election and removing a duly elected president" makes it seem like there is truth to that duality of falsehoods 
• Using Twitter to disseminate misinformation quickly and easily 
• Vilifying the good guys: demonizing the free press 
• Facts are lies; lies are facts. Apply, rinse, repeat

Lesson Ten: Bribery Works!
We'll explore how continuing the facade of having wealth can help corrupt people and institutions.

Topics:

• Better elections through bribing black voters
• Greasing the palms of GOP senators can help your chances at being acquitted on impeachment charges

Lesson Eleven: Perverting the Military.
We'll visit the duality of proclaiming support of the military while simultaneously removing benefits and assistance.

Topics:

• Politicizing the military by pardoning war criminals  
• Punishing military prosecutors: criminalize those who are guided by rule of law
• Diminishing war injuries: if you can't see it, it doesn't exist

Lesson Twelve: Using Fear to Suppress Freedom of Thought.
The premier tool of a despot: incite fear in the people. We'll explore how fear drives conservative thought and ways to exploit it.

• Incite fear in a major speech to keep your minions in line
• Proclaim that you are their only salvation

Required Reading: The Constitution of the United States.

Final Exam will be on November 3, 2020. Attendance is mandatory! It will consist of one item.

Grab 'em by the ballot: Restore Our Three-Branch Government. VOTE BLUE!

Patriots and Poltroons

Last week was busy for We the People. Witness patriots and poltroons making history.

Firstly, the crook was acquitted, as expected. Not exonerated by any means. "Acquittal" means dismissal of charges. It does not mean innocence. Despite many in the GOP agreeing that he was guilty as charged, a roomful of poltroons acquitted him anyway. These cowards not only acquitted him, they put the stamp of approval on his behavior.

My last post, written after the vote to deny witnesses and documents into the trial, said most of what I wanted to say, as acquittal was all but certain after all was said and done.

Patriot Adam Schiff gave a powerful final argument. He conducted the whole trial with elegance and energy. His name will be remembered by history. Here is the full 25-minute final argument. I've started the video below at the last few minutes, which I thought was especially moving.

"Truth matters to you. You are decent. He is not. He is not who you are."




Fifty-two Republicans voted to acquit on all charges, many more than the supermajority needed to convict. But there was one true patriot among them, one who bravely stepped forward to convict IMPOTUS on article one, abuse of power. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the only GOP senator brave enough to follow his truth. History will remember his name, too.

Much, much respect to Mitt Romney, who gave a powerful explanation for his decision:



We know that many more of them privately felt the same truth as Romney. But as Sen. Sherrod Brown writes, they ran scared. Nancy Pelosi wrote a scathing op/ed in the Washington Post calling the Republican senators to the carpet.

Private feelings do not count. They failed in their duty to the nation.

Some publicly stated that they felt he was guilty. But this proclamation only cements their label of coward. Incomprehensibly, more than one Senator tsk-tsked about what a shame it was that he did what he did, but they hoped and expected that DJT, as Sen. Susan Collins said, "learned his lesson." WTF? Has she not been paying attention to anything for the last three years? What about him makes her think this man is capable of learning or of contrition? He is a psychopath. This man does not learn lessons. He does not have a sense of right and wrong or shame.

Indeed, on Thursday after the State of the Union speech (which I didn't watch -- I went to happy hour with friends instead!), he did a victory lap. Well, two laps.

He displayed his usual outrageous, disgusting self. But we must not normalize his usual outrageous disgusting self. So let's face it.

SCROTUS spoke at the National Prayer breakfast (which, by the way, is a topic in the fascinating and frightening Netflix documentary, "The Family"), where he was again unhinged and unchristian-like. Later he blabbered for over an hour at the Whitewash House while his synchophants licked his boots.

Here is an ABC News story, and below are the Mango Mussolini's full remarks at both events, for history's sake. Don't watch them. I don't want anyone to get sick on account of me.

Don't turn completely away. Small doses are enough:




National Prayer Breakfast speech, not only unchristian-like, but authoritarian to the core:




Remarks from the East Room:




And the week didn't end with that. On Friday, he summarily fired two patriots who bravely stepped forward, defying his order not to cooperate, and went before Congress and told the truth. Lt. Col. Alex Vindman and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland were shown to the door. Literally. Vindman was escorted from the Whitewash House, as was his twin brother Yevgeny, an unfortunate victim of collateral damage.

Despicable. It's what dictators do.

Vindman is a singular patriot. He has given so much to this country for so long. He is a hero, plain and simple. I wrote about this Purple Heart recipient after his impeachment testimony. We owe him a debt of gratitude.

Gordon Sondland, though a big part of the cluster that was the Ukraine scheme, turned his back on his patron status and stood up to give powerful testimony. He, too, was shown the door.

Ironically, some Repug senators tried to talk 45 out of firing Sondland. Hey, senators! You could have stopped him from doing bad things a few days ago by voting to convict. He won't stop. HE. WON'T. STOP.

Marie Yavonovitch, former Ambassador to Ukraine, and another American patriot, offered these words of hope in her essay in the Washington Post: "We will endure, we will persist and we will prevail." She notes, "Every citizen doesn’t need to do everything, but each one of us can do one thing." Thank you, Ms. Yavonovich. It's my mission to do the one thing I can do.

Thankfully, the State of the Union address was before the acquittal, and he managed to keep impeachment out of his speech. As is his usual, he was able to read the words put before him decently, and as usual they were full of lies.

A couple tidbits from the STFU speech.

I won't go through the many and myriad untruths throughout the speech (I'll leave that for the fact-checkers), but here are just a couple.

He sprung a surprise scholarship for "a school of her choice" to Janiyah Davis, a little girl who he claimed was attending "a failing government school" ("government school" – who came up with that gross term? So demeaning!). The thing is, this 4th-grader was already attending an elite charter school (a government school, by the way), one that she wouldn't dream of leaving.

Her mother wasn't told ahead of time the role they would play in SCROTUS's spectacle and it was obvious that Jeniyah and her mom were confused when they were asked to stand and the "scholarship" was announced.

It turns out that what was to be gifted to the girl was not really an official scholarship from Philadelphia's scholarship programs. No. Betsy DeVos was to pay for the child's education personally. But it's moot. Janiyah gets nothing, and she stays in her taxpayer-funded charter school.

It's unclear how the Whitewash House found this child to honor, but one thing is obvious. This family was just another black prop for the Racist-in-Chief.

Another gift during the speech: Rush Limbaugh, darling of the far right, unabashedly racist and misogynistic to his core, was given the freaking Presidential Medal of Honor, right there during the speech. There is no one less deserving of this honor.

Steve Sack

The best part of the evening, though, was Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up her copy of the speech at the end. She did it in full view of the cameras, very matter of factly. Love her or hate her, she is a political force to be reckoned with. Me? I love her.




Other news last week:

Monday was the Iowa Cauc-Up. So much went wrong in the much-anticipated first primary event of the 2020 election season. Now, after a week, it is still unclear who won, but Mayor Pete and Bernie are closely in the lead – both are claiming victory – with Liz right behind. Uncle Joe was 4th, which is nearly a death knell for his campaign.

Interesting, exciting race! New Hampshire is next, on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to California being part of Super Tuesday for the first time. We moved our primary from June to March this year. It'll be cool to be part of the conversation for once.

The Tan Lines Scandal. This photo was tweeted. Twitterers mocked; the president* proclaimed "fake news!" But in the end, it seems legit.

I've noticed the line becoming more apparent. In fact, during the prayer breakfast, you can see it. It's not as stark as in this photo, but I noticed. I believe that he does his make up himself. I don't think it's a tanning bed, because his hands are a starkly different shade (see below). I believe that this more-obvious tan line is more evidence of his deterioration. He's losing it.

But please let us put all that behind. Let us champion the patriots. Remember at the beginning of these backwards days, when we wrote postcards galore? I invite you to pick up some postcards and some stamps and please join me in writing a note of thanks to the patriots who have done the right thing.

And then, we gear up for the finalization of the impeachment in November.

Thanks for reading. #Resist!


Lt. Col. Alex Vindman
c/o David Pressman, Attorney
55 Hudson Yards
20th Floor
New York, NY 10001


Gordon Sondland
c/o Robert Luskin, Attorney
875 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005


Marie Yavonovitch
c/o Lawrence S. Robbins, Attorney
2000 K Street North West
4th Floor
Washington, DC 20006


Sen. Mitt Romney
124 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510


Rep. Adam Schiff
2269 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Val Demings
217 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Jerry Nadler
2109 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Jason Crow
1229 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Zoe Lofgren
1401 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Hakeem Jefferies
2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Rep. Sylvia Garcia
1620 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515