When I wrote
the note below in my journal, aside from the irony and sarcasm I suppose
I was really hoping that things would improve significantly and that reason,
tolerance, and respect would return to dominance … and then I wondered if those
values and others were ever widely embraced … there are wonderful stories and
memories of people who lived those values – for example Franz Jägerstätter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDvW42iSeVs) comes to mind
for me often … but then the story of Cain and Able, the first two brothers, is
not all that encouraging … I used to joke about the first words in the Jewish
bible … “In the beginning there was chaos and the void …” and then I would add that
not much has changed since then. And then I imagine my father telling me from
the grave that my interpretation is correct and that the message is for us to
make needed changes … his words from the great beyond haunt me … what changes
have I made to make things better … less chaotic … less empty of meaning … my father's message echos: "the
gift we have been given (life) is the opportunity to make things better." “If
not now, then when?” as Hillel asked.
-----------------------------------------
Okay … I admit it. I tried listening
to DJT and looking at the good things that have come to pass under his reign. I
start with an advance organizer and a disclaimer pertaining to DJT’s advice about
stemming the spread of the coronavirus by drinking or injecting disinfectant.
Being cautious and somewhat creative, I thought that it made more sense to start with one’s
feet rather than one’s mouth or arm. So … I soaked my feet in Lysol last week,
and I am now happy to report that there is no evidence that my feet are
contagious. More good news in what follows.
Because I believe that we should let
evidence be the key arbiter in difficult situations,
I have been examining several different bodies of evidence … but not any of the
134,000 American bodies lost to COVID-19 as
access is restricted. So, a second disclaimer is that the evidence reviewed
herein is basically evidence gathered due to the convenience of samples.
Mass shootings in the USA in 2020 are on a track similar to the number of mass
shootings in the USA in 2019. However, there are many fewer mass shootings in
schools, universities, shopping malls, movie theaters, concerts, and churches
in 2020 compared with the previous year. Our analysis shows that this is one
major benefit of the coronavirus … looking on the bright side. It should be
noted that a possible confounding variable could be the percentage of schools,
universities, shopping malls, movie theaters, concerts, and churches that have
been closed or cancelled due to the coronavirus. Analysis continues.
Also, the number of foreigners
wishing to enter the USAm, legally or illegally, has declined significantly in
2020. This means that those children currently held in cages at the border can
be released, and the worries about an invading horde from the South can be set
aside, except perhaps those seeking to leave Brazil where the coronavirus is
spreading faster even than in the USA and where the rich-poor gap is even
greater than that in the USA.
So, in closing, I am encouraging an
attitude of hope along with that encouraged by DJT. Things could have been much
worse. He could have bombed North Korea or sold Alaska to Russia or moved to
Greenland. DJT has probably added more to his ego than to his bank account,
although the evidence has yet to confirm that conclusion. And as a final note,
air pollution due to automobile traffic seems to be declining in 2020 in the USA Take
heart, America ... DJT is the one responsible for this new climate of hope.
mike spector
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