DEMONS AT WORK

I had a hysterectomy in 2001.  Fibroids.  Very common.  I was so relieved to have the surgery and have the "monthlies" behind me, especially the last few years of...well, no one needs to hear the details, but let me tell you, it was not fun. 

The thing is, I had no idea at the time why I developed that affliction, nor did my doc.  Unlucky?  

No!  There IS a reason, revealed recently by a doctor (yes, she has a medical degree, but as in all professions, someone has to graduate last in their class, I guess) who shared that "DNA from space aliens is infused with medicine" and  that dreaming of having sex with a demon ("astral sex") can result in all manner of awful results including infertility, FIBROIDS, miscarriage, and sexually transmitted diseases.  See?  At long last, an explanation.  

I don't specifically recall having a dream about having sex with a demon, but you know how it is: sometimes you don't recall every dream, especially those of such mundane subject matter.

This doctor joined a group of similarly white-coated "frontline health care providers" on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court (why there?) the other day to proclaim that there is a cure for Covid 19 -- hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug continuously touted by the current president, his supporters, FOX News, and this woman and her cronies who say masks are unnecessary because this drug is the cure.  This flies in the face of science and leading immunologists who have studied this drug, all of whom say it does nothing to cure Covid, and in many cases causes heart issues and even death.  But what do they know?  

The current president had watched the Tea Party Patriot Pro-Trump re-election-sponsored gathering at the Supreme Court and declared, 

"I don't know which country she comes from (Nigeria actually), but she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients.  And I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her."  This is a typical endorsement of questionable and even disproven information which is so often promoted by this president.  I laughed.  But many take his words as gospel.  Sigh.

So this is where we are in the national discourse on Covid.  At least the majority of citizens seem to give credence to the leading expert on this virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, judging by his "trustworthy" poll numbers, but that just annoyed the current president, who regularly derides Fauci. This week the current president's resentment spilled over into a whining moment in a press conference where he said he doesn't understand why Fauci is more popular than he is.  

Moving on.  I believe my summer garden has also had astral sex with demons resulting in seeds spilled into the earth that were less than robust.  I'm dealing with a disappointing gardening season.  I planted cucumber seeds three times and none germinated.  The beets are small, the beans paltry; even the zucchini is struggling.  It's a little sad.  I had high hopes.  On the other hand,  we got some good peas, the raspberries are plentiful to a fault: my freezer is full of gallon bags of berries.  And...ta!da! my tomatoes are prolific!  It's really hard to grow tomatoes in this climate so even a couple that ripen for me is cause for celebration.  Most tomato gardeners here make a career of their care and and coaxing to full fruit.  As usual, I plant and mostly ignore, although I did help them along with some "hand pollinating" as I like to call it.  (Am I the demon or the angel?)  Anyway,  we are eating fresh tomatoes daily and there are many more to come.  

So, the Summer of the Covid moves on, with the dance of the ridiculous and the sublime in full swing.  

I had a Facebook memory post pop up today of four years ago, showing a video of me on the night of the Democratic Convention when I had a party of family and friends here to watch Hillary accept the nomination of her party -- the first woman to do so.  I recall crying with joy....never suspecting what was ahead for us all.  

Demons, indeed.

At least, that's the view from here...©

Photo Credit (demon) www.pixabay.com

THIS IS AMERIKA

Heavy sigh.

I have not felt like writing.  I envy my blogger friend who writes religiously (well, she'd take exception with that term; let's say regularly) whether she feels like it or not.  She is devoted to her writing schedule.  Plus, she finds everyday, funny, quirky things to write about.  Me? Not so much. I wait for inspiration, or at least a building up of "writing tension" that explodes onto the page (like today).  And lately not all that much feels funny to me, so I appreciate her making me smile all the more.

We still have a pandemic, which is getting worse.  We still have a lunatic authoritarian president, who is getting worse.  We still have social unrest in protest of generations of racial discrimination and violence, with mostly peaceful protestors, but not always.  And worse, the aforementioned authoritarian president has taken to sending unidentified security forces, dressed in camouflage and armed with "non-lethal" (but still blinding in one case) rubber bullets, into "Democrat led" cities to "restore order".  Only they make it more unstable and violent, subduing with tear gas and arresting protestors and observers without cause. Literally no one knows who these forces are, nor the men wearing the camo.  There is no identifying information as to agency or names on uniforms or vehicles.  They are there uninvited by local officials or law enforcement; some cities have sued the Administration to attempt to get them out.  This is Amerika.

So, I've been a little depressed.

I thought this would be the Summer of Political Action, gearing up for November.  This time it really is the most important election of our lifetimes...maybe generations.

Yet, here we are instead, arguing and polarized over whether it is an infringement on individual freedoms to be told to wear a mask, maintain physical distancing, and stay home, OR, whether these science-based recommendations and mandates are kind, compassionate, and necessary acts, as hospitals are filled to capacity, health care workers are so far beyond exhausted they are in tears on the nightly news begging people to follow the recommendations, and millions are suffering and dying.  The anti-maskers (including the lunatic president) who want to go to rallies, party, gather in larger groups and stand too close are helping extend the pandemic within the U.S., which is now a pariah in the world, where most countries have closed their borders to American citizens.  This is Amerika. 

When I started writing about his Covid-19 pandemic in early March, here were the stats I recorded in a blog post:

Worldwide: 100,000 cases; 3,408 deaths

United States: 233 cases; 12 deaths

Washington State: 39 cases; 10 deaths (in one long-term care facility, an early epicenter)

My county: 8 cases (including the very first Covid confirmed case in the U.S.; 0 deaths

Here are today's numbers, 4.5 months later:

Worldwide: 15.5 million cases; 634,000 deaths

United States: 4,024,492 cases; 143,868 deaths (cases and deaths the worst, by far, of any country in the world -- including people I know personally)

Washington State: 50,009 cases (including one of my sons); 1,482 deaths

My county: 4,562 cases; 182 deaths

There is no sign of this abating in the U.S.; our state is on the upswing like so many others. That's discouraging because our state was an early adopter of shutting down -- closing businesses and public places, closing schools, urging mask wearing (although no mandating it until far too late in my opinion).  Other states (especially in the south where there is apparently a neurotoxin in the water that effects the rational thinking centers of the brain in nearly all elected officials) didn't close down completely at all, or if they did, they opened up way too fast and too soon, resulting in the spikes we see across southern swath of the United States.  But even more progressive states like California, Oregon, and Washington (and others) contain large enough numbers of deniers who are screaming about their rights to assemble and to NOT wear masks, that the rest of us are endangered too.

So, I've been a little depressed.

There IS still an election in 102 days (but who's counting?) but it seems like an abstraction.  No big campaign rallies (well the lunatic president has held a few, against unanimous advice from health experts, but poor attendance and subsequent covid spikes of attendees seems to have cooled the ardor for now.)  Party conventions will be held online (although again, lunatic president still thinks he can address his adoring fans in person.)  Foreign influence and cyber attacks aimed at spreading disinformation and creating chaos and division are in full force since this Administration took almost no action to stop this after the debacle of 2016.  Voter suppression is in full steam ahead mode with some states refusing vote by mail (even when coming out to vote in a pandemic could kill you), and polling places are being shut down in some areas with large populations of brown and black people, making for 8 hour long lines to get into the few polling sites left open.  This is Amerika.

I'm running out of steam, as I do more easily these days.  I must face the unfathomable fact that I feel beaten up, beaten down, bloodied, and exhausted by the last four years of political (and personal) challenges.  My energy for the fight comes only in fits and starts with long pauses for sitting in my garden and/or binging on the TV Series du Jour Hub and I have decided to spend our evenings watching, popcorn bowls on our laps.

I feel like I will still rally for the cause eventually, but to do what?

I have no interest in talking myself blue trying to change hearts and minds -- they are unchangeable.

I have no interest in cold-calling voters; my introverted self has become even more so.  (The very best part of "stay at home" orders is that every single day I feel overwhelmingly relieved that I don't have to go anywhere, or do anything, or see anyone that I don't want to!)

I have no interest in attending rallies (Covid fears and inertia).

So I write postcards to voters for various organizations who are doing distance GOTV (Get Out The Vote) work.  I read, listen, watch, stay informed.  I post to social media.  I vote.

My primary ballot is sitting right next to my computer and when I sign off here, I will vote in the statewide races that are essential to moving us in the right direction.  Then I'll hold my breath to hear the results.  I take nothing for granted anymore.  So much that I thought I knew, could count on, believed in is in tatters.

I've been a little depressed.

This is Amerika.

At least, that's the view from here...©