MAGA in the Upside Down: Saturday Political Soap Box 306

 

First, we had to read the book. Alison read it. Then I finished it a few days ago. So, last night, we finally watched it.

Project Hail Mary.

It was excellent. Very worth the wait. Yes, it was slightly different than the book, but not in any way that took away from it.

A recent Academy Winner (which I am pretty sure Project Hail Mary will be joining that rank) was One Battle After Another. Thinking of that title made me realize that Project Hail Mary is...One Scientific Crisis After Another!

And that's true to the way science is. It's not a straight line. It's discovery and exploration, trial and error, solving and evolving. Every discovery leads to a new set of questions to resolve.

Our handling of COVID-19 was like that. As we gained more experience with what we were dealing with, the advice to handle it became more precise and refined.

Compared to other pandemics, the science progressed fairly rapidly. And that was in large part due to a man who had devoted his life to analyzing infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Millions of lives were saved because of the hard work of Dr. Fauci and many scientists and health care workers.

But we can't leave that alone, can we?

History has to be revised by fools like Senator Rand Paul, the orange conman, and an army of misled MAGidiots.

It was masking, social distancing, and eventually the vaccine that mitigated the extent of the Pandemic. As new information and discoveries emerged, scientists would refine their advice (e.g., how the virus spread less effectively outdoors).

America had a higher casualty number than virtually all other nations, but it DEFINITELY wasn't because of Dr. Fauci. It was MAGA didn't want to mask up. They didn't want to social distance. They refused to vaccinate. They didn't care who else they infected, because it impinged their own rights. Personal "freedoms" mattered more than human life.

This is evidenced by the fact that MAGA red counties had the highest death rates, especially during the time that the vaccine was available.

Last week Senator Paul led a committee whose sole purpose was to denigrate Dr. Fauci and use an unearthed PRIVATE diary to catch Dr. Fauci in a contradiction that could be used to accuse og him of perjury and send him to jail.

MAGA and Paul were trying to put us in the Upside Down. They were trying to turn the heroes into villains and the villains into heroes.

Disgusting.

We are now living in a time when diseases that were under control, like measles, are now roaring back, when lettuce has become feared because it may contain cyclosporiasis, when the corporations' right to pollute supercedes our right to be safe, when the Depatrment of Health and Human Services is led by an anti-vaxxer who swims in raw sewage, eats road kill, and drinks raw milk.

And what happens if the next pandemic hits while this parade of fools reigns?

God help us all.

We are so far from the cooperative, inquisitive, evolving science of Dr. Fauci and Project Hail Mary that it makes me weep.

T. M. Strait

AOC '28

Positive Ending to My Resistance

 Just a short note to let you I am no longer a hold-out to the Pandemic.  Yesterday, I had a positive COVID test. After almost two years of living with this around me, I am finally pulled down.  I don't know why.  Could have been church.  Could have been a store.

Wednesday was difficult.  Yesterday was better.  Today I'm not as good as yesterday but better than Wednesday.

Alison home-tested today, and she is negative.  Thank God.  Benjamin seems to be okay and has not tested.

The thing that shames me more than getting it is that I may have exposed other people to it.  I find it difficult to accept that I could be making other people sick.

That's all I've got right now.  I need to take another break.

The ConKemptible and DeSatanic Lie

It's been a tough political ad season. 

And living in Southeast Georgia, where most of the broadcast stations we receive are from Florida, we get the worst of both worlds, Georgia and Florida.

There is so much wrong with the advertising we have been inundated with. For example, did you know that Senator Raphael Warnock is personally responsible for worldwide inflation? Who knew one man had so much power?

But, to me, the most contemptible is the big lie being spread by Kemp and DeSantis, and no, I'm not talking about Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election.

I'm talking about how both their ads brag about their great job handling COVID.

Are they out of their frigging minds?

Even though the statistics from both states have been heavily manipulated, they still show that the two states have record malfeasance and are among the leaders in the country in the number of cases, and a disproportionate amount of deaths.

Florida ranks number ONE in its proportion of the number of cases among the 10 largest states. They rank higher than Texas, which is not exactly a ragingly liberal state. The largest state, California, ranks number 7, even though its first surge occurred earlier when the virus was at its worst.

Georgia and Florida are tied for the rate of death, with only New York (early surge) and Michigan slightly higher.

Only five states have a poorer vaccination rate than Georgia; they are all small, very red states.  

Kemp closed down the state late compared to other states but was also the first to open back up. He brags about this grave miscalculation in his advertising. Sort of like, "Yay! Our state is open for bidness! Grandma's dead, but we're open!"

DeSantis openly berated people wearing masks, including school kids. Rebekah Jones, a Florida data scientist, was fired from her position at the Florida Department of Health for speaking out about how Florida officials were manipulating COVID data, trying to make the state look like it was doing better. 

And yet...

DeSantis has a formidable lead to win re-election.

Kemp is in a tighter race but is better than even money to pull out a victory.

I'm going to be blunt about it.

These politicians and their policies resulted in many unnecessary deaths. And I hold them responsible.

The fact that the majority of voters in those two states will most likely not, shows how ugly our politics have grown.

Some of you may be able to forget what they've done.

I will not.

Forebotten Topics

 Yes, there are some things that I shouldn't talk about. Some things are even too dangerous for me to go into.

Excluding topics that are obvious to avoid, like explicit sexual discussions, there are others that COULD be discussed, but I don't care to go into them. 

And some topics are primarily ones I avoid with in-person conversations, to some degree online, but mostly in person.

I'm low-keying this one. No pictures and very few social media postings.

 Politics while at the theatre

Although I generally like political discussions, I go out of my way to avoid them when I'm at the theatre. This is not as easy as it seems. There are a lot of downtimes where people discuss a lot of things.

My taboo on politics at the theatre has very practical reasons. I am very passionate about these issues. I can get loud and carried away in expressing my viewpoint. More importantly, it can hurt my ability to concentrate on my part. I get too wound up, and I lose concentration. Not a good thing for somebody who is the type who is still reviewing my lines before my performances and can't let my mind wander while I'm onstage.

When others talk about politics, I try very hard to keep my mouth shut, even when I have to listen to some really weird opinions. Remember, I live in an area where Trump voters vastly outnumber everyone else. If it gets too much for me, I just walk away.

I learned to practice the same philosophy when I worked at a place that had nothing bad to say about Trump while he was President but started joking and making fun of Biden about two days into his term. 

Generally speaking, believe it or not, I don't raise political issues with people (unless I know they are allies). Sometimes, in some situations, it's hard for me not to say something when others bring it up.  

Almost all of my political talk is done via this blog.

Covid

I've learned the hard way not to talk about COVID. When others bring it up, I just let them talk.  

People's attitudes toward COVID are strange. Some (well, very few) are very strict about it - very worried and protecting themselves. Others dismiss the whole thing and think there's something wrong with you if you are still concerned about it.

And God forbid you should tell somebody you haven't had COVID yet. The looks you get! They range from disgust to why are you telling me this to baffled silence. The worst response is saying you haven't had COVID is the equivalent of saying you haven't had cancer or some other disease. YOU ARE BRAGGING.  

Have I never had COVID? I know. I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut. The truth is...probably not, but who can say for sure? It's possible I had it, and it was so incredibly asymptomatic I didn't even know.

But...you don't want to hear that. I understand now.

Tattoos

This one is scary. Perhaps the scariest topic I could broach. Tattoos are so universal now it's difficult to say anything without upsetting people.

Let me start by saying that people getting tattoos is perfectly fine. There's not a religious or moral problem. Churches who pretend they're "open and tolerant" because they let people in with tattoos are kidding themselves - let's see how many people show up if you exclude them.

That said, here goes. And I hope you still like me when I'm done.

I personally would never get a tattoo. That's my own choice. I just don't like drawing on myself. When I was a kid, I didn't even like to write my name on my arm with an inkpen. I'm not telling anybody else what to do. That's their own choice.

Do I think that tattoos, of any kind, look attractive on people? Sigh. No, I don't. I don't think it enhances people's appearance. Cripes. I can already feel the slings and arrows coming.

Does it affect how I feel about anyone? Hell, no. I feel the same way about people, regardless of tattoos, piercings, or anything else.

The only other proviso is that I don't really feel like people who are serious about acting should have prominent tattoos if they can help it. It's best to be a blank slate that can be adapted to the widest range of parts. This, to me, is most helpful to those getting started in the profession.

Am I aware that there are a lot of parts now where having tattoos either do not matter or are helpful? Yes, I'm sure there are. But I still feel it is easier to add temporary tattoos than to cover up permanent ones.

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Well, I guess three forebotten topics is a good place to start. And for some, I'm afraid it may be a good place to get off the Strait Train. I hope not, as I love and respect you all. Even the Trumpeteers.

Well, most of the Trumpeteers.

Is the Pandemic Over? Saturday Political Soap Box 285

 

No. Not really.

But that doesn't stop everyone from acting like it is.

The best you can say is that recent variants have been less lethal than previous variants.  LESS lethal, not NON-lethal.

The vaccination rate at first looked like we were going to the lead the world.  But then the partisan COVIDIOTS kicked in and we his a ceiling of maturity.  We lost our lead and fell behind many other developed countries.

In my area of the world, and increasingly so in the rest of the United States, mask wearing has become a thing of the past.  Less than 5% of the people I see out and about are masked.  And among the unmasked?  Me.  Sad, but true.  I have one in my pocket in case I feel crowded, but that doesn't happen much.

I have been keeping track of statistics daily from the Georgia Department of Health, trying to stay on top of what was happening state-wide and in my local counties.  Several months ago, the DOH cut back to the five weekdays.  Now, they are only posting once a week.

Do the numbers warrant that?  Meh.  Hard to tell,   Cases still exist.  There are still several dozen deaths a day. The numbers are down from the peak of the last surge.  But it ain't over.

Locally, the number of cases haven't gone down.  THEY'VE REVERSED.  Ware County, since the start of the pandemic, had 9,998 reported cases on April 7th.  They were on the verge of five figures! As of the last report, April 20th, Ware County had... 9,894 cases.  WHHHHAAATTT?  Total cases went down 104!

Well.  That could mean 1) they screwed up earlier, 2) they're screwing up now, or 3) they have chortingly applied a new standard that allows them to edit out what they consider marginal cases.

I'n betting on option 3.

Biden and the Democrats have done many good, positive things to help the country weather the pandemic storm.  They did everything humanly (and democratically) possible to promote and make available the vaccines.  They supported mask mandates  wherever they could.  They passed and provided COVID prevention funding.

But hang on to your hats.  I'm going to tell you where the Democrats fell short.

The State of the Union.  When they did that speech sans masks, it sent a message that it was over,  Even to me.  Was it the medically sound thing to do?  I don't know.  I know that many of the congressional Democrats who had not gotten COVID for so long finally scummbed to it.  Granted, they were very mild cases, as they were vaccinated. but they nevertheless got it.

School districts around the country reversed their mask mandates, including New York City under the guidance of NYC Mayor Eric Adams (who also recently got COVID).  Why?  Maybe partly science, but also because they want to stay in office.  It's clear that many parents, for better or worse, don't want a mask mandate, and Democrats fear their power.

I don't like the Democrats caving like that, but I sadly understand the point.  If they don't do it, they will be swept from office.  

I don't understand it.  The politicians most responsible for their state's poor reactions and for endangering more people are being hailed as successes.  It disgusts me.

DeSantis forged state COVID numbers.  He promoted false cures.  He bullied students who dared to wear masks near him.  Every step of the way, his behavior in the COVID crisis has been reprehensible.  And yet...he is likely to be the Republican nominee in 2024.  Can anyone explain that to me?

My church, which has been extra cautious throughout this, no longer requires masks.  Alison does not wear one at work.  It is rare to see them at stores.

Given the current state of the pandemic in Georgia, this may be a fair reaction.

But it is still unnerving.  Because it is not over.  It may be in slight "remission" but it is not gone.

We must remain vigilant.   

Phase Five Begins

 

Yes. My comic book project continues. I know. It's been a long time. It's taking a lot of time and concentration. But I'm finally on Phase Five, which is quite far along.  I'm refining what I want my core collection to be, the ones I retain after the mass sale.

The comic above is fairly recent and is the first issue introducing Naomi, whose origins and powers bear some similarity to Superman. A CW show about her started two weeks ago, and it's pretty good. It's produced by the outstanding Director and Creator, Ava DuVernay (she made one of my favorite movies, Selma, and the Oscar-nominated Documentary, 13th). I'm enjoying the program, despite its only 4.0 rating on IMDb.*

I've had to hold this comic book out of my mass sale because its value is hard to figure out.   It's been published since my August 2021 guidebook, and values from other internet sources have been all over the map. I have about a half dozen comics in this position.

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The numbers of COVID cases in the two counties, Ware and Pierce, where I spend my time, have skyrocketed to their highest levels. Even people who have behaved reasonably throughout this have come down with the Omicron variant. My immediate family has escaped it to this point, but there is no guarantee that will continue. Public schools around here have been terribly lax, and a good number of the new cases I know about come from them.

And as the cases rise in our area, the percentage of mask wearers is plummeting. Outside of some retail personnel, it looks to me like only 5 to 10% of people are wearing masks.

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It is clear to me that Democrats have given up on doing anything to protect schools. The public polling is all against them, and they don't have the courage to challenge it.

I don't want schools to be shut down,  But to do that, you have t have teachers and as many students as possible vaccinated. In addition, you have to require mask-wearing.

But a significant minority won't allow that. They want schools open. They want little or no precautions taken.

I get it. Schools are not about education. It's about warehousing kids so you can go to work, sort of free daycare.

The hard truth is that many are prioritizing their ability to go to work over the safety of children and the community.

Again, I don't want schools closed. I want precautions taken. But even that seems a step too far for many.

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I was ecstatic to see Georgia beat Alabama in the National Championship. Their great underdog quarterback, Stetson Bennett III, comes for our town of Blackshear - indeed, his family is in our neighborhood. I don't know them, but Alison has at least a passing acquaintance with the family. They are good people, and his emergence is one of the best sports stories of recent times.

I was disappointed that it was not Michigan beating Alabama for the championship, but that did not take away from their extraordinary season. First, starting unranked and then finishing Number 3 in the nation! Then, beating Ohio State! Finally, winning the Big Ten Championship! Awesome year!

To my former co-worker, a big Bama fan- be patient. You'll most likely be back next year. The Wolverines? I hope not, but it may be another 25 to 30 years in the wilderness. 

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Well, I guess I better get back to my comic project. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can get started on something else!

Occasionally yours,

T. M. Strait

*there is a large contingent of right-wingers, particularly right-wing comic book fans, who swarm Imdb and downgrade any show that dares to be diverse.  They especially hate what they call SJWs (Social Justice Warriors), a concept that  I see as a positive and this group sees as a negative.  To fully address it here would require tripling the word count of this post.  I did address it in other posts and will address it more in the future.

The Newest Marvel/DC Blockbuster! Omicron vs. Southeast Georgia!

 IT'S HERE!

(probably).

When I heard the name of the latest variant, I thought, "Man! That sounds like a Marvel Super-Villain!"

Close!

There was a Hydra base by that name. in the comic 2020 Rescue. The base was infiltrated by Pepper Potts, and she succeeds in destroying a good part of the base. Pepper Potts is a secretary and love interest for Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man AKA Robert Downey, Jr.). In the movies, Pepper Potts is played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

So, yes, in a way, in the Marvel Universe, the world was saved from Omicron by Gwyneth Paltrow. Who had that on their Bingo card?

It's also interesting to note that Hydra is a long-running evil organization in Marvel, with the mantra,  Hail, Hydra! Immortal Hydra! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one head, two more shall take its place! 

Yeah. That's a pretty good description of COVID, don't cha think?

Not to be outdone, DC has an actual villain named Omicron! He appeared in World's Finest Comics #296 - 300 in 1983. World's Finest was a comic that featured both Superman and Batman, so this dude must have hated both of them. I'm still researching what his powers are - kinda sounds like our COVID Omicron! It's doing something, but we're not quite sure yet what.

Omicron has torn apart most of the country. Has it got to Southeast Georgia yet?

Well, cases have gone up recently. As a result, our color-coding has gotten darker. But the state system has broken down, and I haven't seen a County update since Wednesday 1/5!

But y'all know how well-behaved this area is - I'm sure we'll all stay safe!

Ok. probably not. I'm just praying that it continues to be milder than earlier waves. It is much more contagious, so I fear that everyone who lives around here will get it. Hopefully, many cases will be asymptomatic to extremely mild.

In the Marvel Universe, the Omicron base did not survive long (and was beaten by the Goop lady!) In the DC Universe, Omicron terrorized mankind for five issues and then was written out of existence.

May we be as fortunate!

FALLing Behind Again

 Oh, I know.

I'm falling behind again.

This is only my fourth post in October.  And I'm not even sure of the theme of this one.

But do not despair, my tiny band of blog fans!  There is some hope on the horizon.

I have some changes coming soon that should enable me to write more.  It won't be strictly writing for The Strait-Line, but it will be writing nonetheless.

One of those changes will come about because the play is ending.  Gilligan's Island was tremendous fun, but as all plays, they are very time-consuming.  I have two more performances, tonight and tomorrow night, and then I will be able to set that aside.

If you read this before the 17th and have not come out to the play, I encourage you to do so.  It's not a deep play, but it is hilarious and spirited.  The cast is spot-on in the portrayal of their iconic characters. All are very good.  Michelle Lagoueyte as Ginger is amazing, a tour de force of singing, dancing, and comedic skills. The Skipper is the closest member of the cast to portraying how their character sounds in the TV show and is a marvel of exasperation in dealing with the goofy Gilligan, performed in all his silly glory by Micah Smith (who is also a top-notch singer).  Megan Hendley conveys Mary Ann's sweetness and spirit perfectly, and Trey Carter is terrific as the intellectual Professor.  Trey has two singing numbers that are inspired singing monologues -  how he learned all those words is very impressive to me.  And we have an alien played by Danny Godwin, who is out of this world entertaining.

Special thanks to Nikki Spivey, who plays Mrs. Howell to my Mr. Howell, and for putting up with me and my nonsense.  She is a consummate actress with great comedic timing.  It is crucial for any comedy duo to enhance and heighten each other - actions and reactions are what sell comedy, and she was the perfect person to act opposite.  

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The COVID cases in our area are starting to decline.  We're not out of the woods by any means, but we have at least passed the peak of the current wave.

Will there be another wave?  I don't know.  Vaccination rates are slowly rising.  We've had so many in our area contract COVID; they probably have at least a temporary immunity. However, that may not help them in the next wave or if the virus mutates again.

As of writing this, at least 340 people from the two counties I live and work in have died from COVID.  Our populations are not that big, about 56,000 in the two counties combined, so most of us know of a family that has been affected by this.

And yet...we still have many who poo-poo this whole thing.  I can't make sense of them.  And it breaks my heart.  The supposition is that although the people around here are very conservative politically, they are actually caring and decent on a personal and community level.  Yeah.  I'm having a harder and harder time seeing that.

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I really haven't said much about the movies and TV I watch and the books and comics I read.  We'll see.  Maybe I'll say more in the future about it.  Or maybe not.

I'll only say that we have not watched The Squid Game. And those who have seen it and are trying to tell me all the little details about it  - STOP SPOILING IT FOR ME!

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I've decided not to put an image at the top. Instead, this one is for true fans of the blog - who don't need clickbait to be brought in.

I love you all, and I promise changes are coming that should smooth out my writing efforts.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Not Just Doing My Own Thang

 Oh, hippies!

Time has aged us all.

But, you know, some of that hippie thang still lives on with us.

Unfortunately, for the most part, not the good stuff.  Not the environmental concern (that does exist, but I wouldn't attribute it to the hippie culture).  Certainly not the so-called liberal politics.

Am I of the generation where I could have been a hippy?  Close enough, I guess.  I was a teenager in the late sixties and early seventies.  But I never was.  I was always straight-laced (!) and fairly conservative, from a personal appearance and conduct level perspective.  Most of the hippies I knew in high school weren't peaceniks and protestors.  For the most part, they were hoodlums and roughnecks, more concerned with getting high than with treating other people well.

And that is what has survived of the hippie culture to this day.  Not an effort to reach a helping hand and strive to make a better planet for all, but just a general impulse to do your own thang.  Want to smoke dope?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want a looser definition of marriage and sexual responsibility?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want to party? DO YOUR OWN THANG!  Want to make money and buy the things you want?  DO YOUR OWN THANG! Want to worship Jesus by rocking out and speaking in tongues*?  DO YOUR OWN THANG!

The hippie movement flowed naturally into Reagan and the age of greed.  Some of the hippies became yippies - young professionals consumed with doing their own thang.

And some of those aging hippies are Trump supporters.  Why?  Because he is the poster child for selfishly DOING YOUR OWN THANG. As long as you blindly worship Trump, or at least let him DO HIS OWN THANG, enriching himself by grafting YOU.

I am not dismissing hippies altogether.  I know a few who are decidedly progressive, who care a great deal about the environment and social/economic equity.  But, I'm sorry to say, they are outnumbered by those who DOING THEIR OWN THANG means first and foremost prioritizing themselves and their own enrichment,

So, let me make it clear.  Me wearing a mask in public is not me DOING MY OWN THANG.  It has nothing to do with personal preference, or "you do you, Tom," or prioritizing myself.

I wear a mask in public because of YOU.  I care about YOU.  I care about doing what I can to halt this awful pandemic, this horrible virus that has infected AT LEAST 1 in 5 of the people of Ware and Pierce Counties, that has killed almost 300 people in our rural landscape. So I take it very seriously.  

Yes, I am vaccinated.  No, I have not gotten COVID (to date).  Yes, I am careful, or as careful as I can be given the behavior of others.  But I know about the potential of breakthrough cases.  And I know, despite my caution, I could get one of those breakthrough cases.  And I am very afraid that when I contract it, it will be too mild for me to catch the symptoms, and I, therefore, run the risks of infecting others.  And with the super high rate of unvaccinated around here, I run the risk of infecting one of them.  I could be responsible for someone else getting it, and their case might not be so mild.  And I cannot handle being responsible for that.

I am not DOING MY OWN THANG.  I am not simply choosing pepperoni on my pizza over peppers.  I am not trying to follow the drumbeat of my own drummer.

I am trying to do the RESPONSIBLE thing, the CARING thing, the thing that HAS TO BE DONE if we are going to get out of this terrible pandemic.

Get vaccinated.  Wear a mask.

This isn't MY THANG.  If we're going to make it out of this, it absolutely has to be OUR THANG.

*This is not meant as a negative reflection of Pentecostals or the long tradition of the speaking of tongues in Acts.  I recently read a book where some hippies were forming churches that did this.  Maybe I could have thought of a better example.  Maybe I'll edit it later.  I don't know.  Just don't obsess over the wrong thing.

School Starts: The Power of Love

 The power of vaccination is the power of love. It shows your commitment to the health and well-being of yourself and, more importantly, to all those around you. According to the school calendars I saw, students in Pierce and Ware County start back August 4th. I continue to pray that every teacher and staff person is vaccinated.

Masking may seem unpleasant, but while the Delta Variant is surging, and so many remain unvaccinated, it really is the smart thing to do. The local school systems and the Governor (Kemp. DeSantis) are not like to make masks mandatory, but if you are a parent, I urge you to support masking for the sake of your children and for the sake of all.

No one wants to be dragged backward into the pandemic. We all want to move to a different stage. And the best way to do that? Get vaccinated!

I'm not trying to be political. Honest! But the science is clear. The way out of this is masking and vaccination.

If we don't, we run the risk of even more virulent variants emerging. And I fear one of those may endanger our greatest treasure - our children.

So....

Mask up.

Get vaccinated.

Love,

T. M. Strait

The Silence of the Olympics

The Summer Olympics are here!

After a year's delay, the Tokyo Olympics have arrived!

 

Well, sort of.

After waiting to pick the right time, or what seemed like the right time, is actually during a surge featuring the more transmissible Delta Variant.

It's strange.  Almost surreal.  All the events are being played out without spectators.  It has an odd, haunting quality to it.

We've lost a good number of athletes who have either contracted the virus or had to be quarantined.  The part that I find most astonishing is that athletes and staff were not required to have been vaccinated.  That's not good.  It's just begging for a disaster to happen.

Should the games have been held?  Probably not.  But once the commercials winds are soaring, it's hard to bring them back down.  

We may be seeing more of this.  Many, especially in the United States, have mentally put this behind us.  No amount of evidence otherwise will cause them to move to vaccine requirements or lockdowns or even returning to mask-wearing.

So, the Olympics are here, and right or wrong, I choose to watch them.  At least a tiny portion of them (watching all the coverage would take mammoth DVR capacity and several months of dedicated viewing).

Competing, even for the best, is extremely stressful.

I can't imagine how stressful it is to perform in the Olympics, especially for those we've built up to be super-human.  The burdens they carry are tremendous.

Simone Biles is arguably the best gymnast of all time. The things she does defy what we previously thought of as human limitations.  But she is a human being, and like all of us, she has a threshold that may cause her to break or doubt herself.

She reached that in withdrawing from the team competition.  She felt her anxiety was holding back the team, and right or wrong, she thought their score would be better off without her.

But she's not the only one whose high expectations handicap them.  Naomi Osaka, the number one ranked female tennis player in the world, competing in her home country, faltered and was an early loser in the tennis competition.  In both the women's and men's Taekwondo competitions, I saw the number one players in the world lose in early rounds. In addition, the USA men's basketball team looks shaky for the first time in decades.

These disappointments happen every Olympics.  But they do seem more egregious this year.  Perhaps the additional complication of COVID is contributing.  I don't know.  But I sympathize with them all, both those who fail expectations and the underdogs who exceed expectations.

The thrill of following the unusual.

One of my favorite parts of the Olympics is following sports that don't get a lot of play in America.

When the '96 Olympics came to Atlanta, the one sport Alison and I saw together was a team handball game.  It featured the United States playing a premier European team (unfortunately, I have forgotten which one).  The American team was not very good.  The European team looked buff and athletic.  The United States looked like overfed frat boys who had gotten together as a lark. Our goalie reminded me of John Belushi and John Candy.  He didn't, but you could almost picture him drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette while he was trying to block shots.

I fell in love with the sport, at least as far as Olympic events went.  And with my multiple streaming services and unlimited cloud DVR, I've been able to watch more than ever this year.

But that's not all.  I have also seen - table tennis, taekwondo, rugby, water polo, equestrian dressage, the women's triathlon, and so much more.

Follow the numbers

Yes, as hard as it is for me to admit it, I have an accounting/numbers side to me, mostly in relation to statistics.

I used to spend a lot of time with medal counts, coming up with my own valuing system to see who the true medal leaders are. I assigned 3 points for gold, 2 points for silver, and 1 point for bronze.

I don't do that much anymore.  If I did, I could tell you who the top five were at this moment -

United States    61 pts

China                55 pts

Japan                49 pts

ROC                  42 pts

Great Britain    32 pts

Good thing I'm not doing this anymore.  

Let them wear what they want to wear

The Norwegian beach volleyball team made a team decision to switch from bikini briefs (emphasis on BRIEF) to shorts (they look to me similar to the shorts cyclists wear).  They made this decision in a European Handball League.  It was the European Handball League that fined them, not the Olympic executives.  You may not like the decision.  That's understandable.  But please understand where it came from.

The Olympics deals with teams all over the world, and modesty standards vary.

This is a picture of a beach volleyball contest.  Can you see a difference in what each team chose to wear?  The Egyptian team is dressed one way, and the Italian team another. Can you tell which team is which?

The point is, I don't really care as long as it is the athletes themselves who choose what they wear.  I have heard some commentary from female beach volleyball players that they have reasons for wearing what they wear, and it is for competitive comfort and not to be vavavoom.

I take them at their word.  Let them wear what works for them, and the rest of us shouldn't judge one way or another.

Are sports sexualized?  Maybe.  But...spoiler alert...humans are sexualized.  Ask some women who watch the oiled-up shirtless flag-bearer from Tonga, divers, wrestlers, swimmers, or water polo players.  If they're honest with themselves, some of them are sighing.  It's hard to get around.  Heck, the original Greek Olympics were done naked (or so I hear - I wasn't there).

What you don't want to see is athletes forced to wear what they don't want to (important proviso - team sports have to make a decision AS A TEAM).  

I hope that is one thing we can all agree on.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some beach volleyball to watch.

Leading Them to Water

This is Ellie. 

After a brief visit outside in the Georgia heat, she came in panting.  I thought, "This dog needs some water."

So, I called her over to where the dog's water bowl is.  She stares at it for a minute, looks at me, and then walks away.

What's the saying?  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?

Don't worry.  Ellie is fine.  She eventually drank water, on her own time and impulse.

Not so in some cases. Sometimes there are dire consequences in refusing to drink the water.

And such as it is with the unvaccinated.

It doesn't matter how easy the access to vaccination is.  They will refuse to follow the path.

It doesn't matter how you talk to them.  You can be persuasive.  You can be friendly.  You can appeal to them based on your friendship and love for them.  They will listen to other, darker voices from their highly filtered and conspiratorial news sources and highly stacked social media feeds.

And sadly, it doesn't seem to matter that, in many sections of the country where the vaccination rates are low, cases are surging again.  That 99%+ of the hospitalizations and deaths are of the unvaccinated. For them, personal liberty trumps social responsibility.

Yes, Biden is President, and he bears responsibility for resolving this crisis and leading us out of this mess.  Our rollout of the vaccine has been among the best in the world.  Finally, we're number one at something again! His COVID bill has focused big dollars on vaccination and support for the medical community. Unfortunately, it has shored up weaknesses in our economic system.

But in the end, Biden and for those of us who care, we can lead people to the vaccine, but we cannot make them take it.

And that puts all at risk, as the virus continues to spread, and unchecked variants take over, variants that are more communicable and deadly.  Variants that may eventually break through the vaccine barrier.

We are in a race between vaccination and variants.  And if we don't achieve herd immunity through vaccination, we are going to lose that race.

I'll end with a plea that if anyone has successfully led someone to the vaccine and persuaded them to take it, please share your story and tell us how you did it.  We all need a little bit of hope right now.

Biden Premium Update July 1

I promised that I would keep up.

I promised to maintain a Biden Premium, using the same analysis methods as I did with Trump.

Let it fall where it may.

If it doesn't show an improvement from Trump - well, all my Trumpeteer friends can dance around me and deride me.

I am not going to repeat all the math calculations.  I have shown the methodology several times, and if you are interested, you can find and read some of the earlier Premium posts.

To summarize:

Trump's Final Premium

288,285

That is the number of COVID deaths over what would have been expected based on our population, plus doubling it because....well, we have some people who don't listen very well.

Biden's May 1 Premium

11,513

This represented a substantial slowing of the rate from the previous administration.  It wasn't ideal - there was still a lot of resistance in the country.  But it was lower than the premium from just a couple weeks prior, which I estimated at 17,000.

Biden's June 1 Premium

(1,615)

Biden's July 1 Premium

(26,013)

Wait.

What?

Why is that number in brackets? And in red?

Because it's a reduction.  It's BELOW what we would expect, based on the same criteria I used for Trump.

That's right.

The US is now doing BETTER than you would expect, not WORSE.

Thank you, President Biden.

Plans Laid Low Wednesday Wanderings

 

Home with the dogs today*, as I was yesterday.  I am laid low by intense arthritic pain in my driving foot, fever, and some congestion.  Alson had congestion problems a few days ago, and Benjamin has them right now.

It makes it difficult to sit and concentrate on writing, but I'll do my best.

---------------------

We got a new electric lawnmower, and it works pretty good.  Only thirty minutes to charge up, and then it runs for over an hour.  It runs longer than I can.

One of the things aggravating allergies right now is grass pollen. Our grass is fairly high (and more weeds than grass).  I feel like I need to cut it on the off chance it could help with the family allergy problems.  Unfortunately, there has been a lot of rain, and if that weren't the case, I would still have debilitating foot pain. I feel real guilty about not getting out there, but I'm not sure what to do about it.

Oh, well.  If I can ever get it done, at least I have a great mower to do it with.

-----------------------------------------

I had hoped to get back into fiction writing.  But it requires a great deal of concentration, and between the pains and the meds, it is difficult to do.

But all is not lost.  It is giving me more time to plot out the coming chapters.

--------------------------------

I haven't seen anything about the next OHC Writer's Guild meeting.  If I can get my problems under control, I would go.  

-------------------------

We have a book/coffee shop coming to Blackshear.  I looked in the building that was constructed for it, and it seems pretty far along, at least as far as furniture and shelving.  I don't know how long it will be.

I look forward to donating books, and encouraging a special display of local authors (like me).

-----------------------------------

Is anyone excited about the Summer Olympics?  I look forward to seeing more of my favorite obscure sport, team handball.  I saw a match when the Olympics were in Atlanta.

It is a little bit scary.  Japan may be pushing it too early, as they have experienced a recent rise in cases.  Holding the Olympics is not worth people dying.

------------------

I saw a story about a recent outbreak in Florida in an IT department of a government building. Of the seven people, six got COVID, four of those were hospitalized, and two of those died (a very high casualty rate).  Only one escaped unscathed and did not contract COVID.  What was different about thst person?  They were the only one who was VACCINATED.

Tell me again why getting vaccinated is not important?

Wanderingly yours,

T. M. Strait

*yes, I know.  The picture above shows sloths, not dogs.  Hey - MADE YOU LOOK!

In the Event I Didn't Go To Your Event

 

Yeah.  That's right.  Things are opening up, ready or not.

And I'm not.

I apologize if you've recently had an event scheduled, and I disappointed you by not showing up.  I'm struggling to come back into the flow of things, but it's coming very slow to me.

Why?

It's not all COVID.  There's more to it than that.

For comparison purposes, I'll come up with the best percentages I can estimate for the different things holding me back.

20% COVID

I think things are getting better.  If nothing else, I believe that vaccinated people are in large part protected.  But it's still disturbing to go out and see virtually no one wearing a mask (this is true where I live - not sure about other areas).  And to know many of those going about maskless are unvaccinated, as the vaccination rates in Southeast Georgia are VERY LOW.

We are still in a race between vaccinations and variants, a race I still fear Southeast Georgia will lose.

The first time without masks at my church was very stressful.  I had had recurring nightmares about it.  But the fact is that my church has a very high vaccination percentage, perhaps the highest of any other gatherings in the area.  It still takes some getting used to.

50% SOCIAL ANXIETY/INTROVERSION

It takes me a long time to get comfortable with people.  A long time.  And this period of tremendously reduced social interaction has left me more withdrawn than ever.  I really panic over the idea of going out and trying to be social.

I have done better at church because I have never completely withdrawn from church.  I stayed active as Church Treasurer and as a member of the vestry (although many of our meetings were done through that most terrifying invention - ZOOM).  I even attended some services when our attendance was minimal and the safety protocols very strict.

I am having my most serious trouble with community theatre. I'm scared to re-engage with the theatre community, and I'm not totally sure why.  Like church, I've had nightmares, but these center around how they've turned their back on me and don't even want me there anymore.  I know it's irrational, but not everything about social anxiety is rational.

30% HOMEBODY

I don't dislike people.  Once I break the anxiety barrier, I like their company. But this pandemic experience has made clear one thing -

I like being at home.

I love my home life.  I love reading.  I love writing.  I love streaming TV.  I love being around my dogs.  I love my family.  

I am a homebody.

I used to slide into after-work activities because I got off work at 6, and I would go to them right out of work instead of going home.  

But now, with my choppier part-time schedule, I can't often make that transition.  I may have to go to work, go home, and then go back out again.  And that's not easy to do.  Because I am a homebody, and once I get home, I don't want to leave again.

I look at the commitment that a play would take, all the evenings away from home, and I'm just not sure anymore.  Yes, I hope to do theatre again, but it will have to be the right part and the right play.  And as I age, those parts become fewer and fewer.

It gets tiring having to prove yourself over and over again.  Even though I've done as many plays as anybody in the last twenty-five years, there are still many in theatre here who don't know who I am.  They are new to theatre or didn't see the plays I was in,

That's the biggest thing I've figured out about community theatre over the last several decades - it's not like film: it doesn't endure.  With very rare exceptions, everything is forgotten over time.  Making an enduring legacy is impossible.

Did that add up to 100%?

Ok, good.

I'm not saying you won't see me anymore.

I'm asking you to be patient.

i

Post-Pandemic (?????) Monday Musings

 Is it over?

I don't know.  

But everyone around here is acting like it is.

And I don't just mean those who never acted like there was a pandemic.  I mean EVERYONE.

Stores may have around 10% masked.  In some stores, the employees are unmasked.

There are no crowd size limits.  The picture above is symbolic of the crowds to come.  Georgia and Florida already have held crowded sporting events.

Even my church, which had been super cautious, creating one of the safest environments in the area, has now gone unmasked.

And I don't even know what to say.  The CDC is indicating that vaccinated people are safe from getting or giving COVID-19.  So, it is logical that vaccinated people would not have to wear a mask. It is also logical that unvaccinated people would continue to need to wear a mask, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates (South Georgia - I'm looking at YOU).

That's great, but there is no way to distinguish who should be wearing a mask in public settings and who no longer has to.  And, for the most part, if you're so irresponsible as to not be vaccinated*, you probably haven't been wearing a mask anyway (unless forced to).

The numbers do indicate a downward trajectory.  This is across the entire nation and even Georgia.  But it is not gone.  Georgia COVID deaths remain well above 100 each week.  Ware County jogged down a month ago but now has stabilized at about 15 to 20 new cases a week.  Pierce County has dropped more, to only a handful of reported new cases each week.  There is a possibility that Pierce County just stopped counting.  I really feel like only the more serious cases were ever reported out in Pierce, that the numbers have been at least partially repressed.  

It's not only church.  I've had more organizational meetings start back up. I've looked at the social calendar for June that Alison is keeping, and it's busier than it's been in more than a year. It's making this introvert very queasy.

I've had nightmares about attending church with no restrictions, and those dreams have come true. The actuality was not quite a nightmare, but it did take some getting used to.

I've had nightmares that I tried to get back into the theater, but nobody wanted me there.

It's hard on a social introvert like me.  It takes me weeks and months to feel secure around people.  I now have to start over with that process of re-engaging with people.

People have to be patient with me.  I have to think hard about how much and how intensely I want to re-engage.

And I also have to think about whether it is really over.

I don't know.

Please continue to be as careful as you can out there.

And if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, please do so.

*there may be a small number of people who have valid medical reasons not to take the vaccine.  I don't know what those reasons might be, but there may be a few who fall into this category.

June 1 Biden Premium Update

 I promised that I would keep up.

I promised to maintain a Biden Premium, using the same analysis methods as I did with Trump.

Let it fall where it may.

If it doesn't show an improvement from Trump - well, all my Trumpeteer friends can dance around me and deride me.

I am not going to repeat all the math calculations.  I have shown the methodology several times, and if you are interested, you can find and read some of the earlier Premium posts.

To summarize:

Trump's Final Premium

288,285

That is the number of COVID deaths over what would have been expected based on our population, plus doubling it because....well, we have some people who don't listen very well.

Biden's May 1 Premium

11,513

This represented a substantial slowing of rate from the previous administration.  It wasn't ideal - there was still a lot of resistance in the country.  But it was lower than the premium from just a couple weeks prior, which I estimated at 17,000.

Biden's June 1 Premium

(1,615)

Wait.

What?

Why is that number in brackets? And in red?

Because it's a reduction.  It's BELOW what we would expect, based on the same criteria I used for Trump.

That's right.

The US is now doing BETTER than you would expect, not WORSE.

Thank you, President Biden.

Back in the Wednesday Wandering Saddle

 

Whew!

Formatting problems fixed!

Anyone who wonders what I'm talking about should look at the previous post.  Somehow, it flipped to HTML view instead of compose view.  But I figured out how to flip it off and return to compose.

ARRRRE YOU READY TO WANDER?

Woke up.  Got out of bed.  Dragged a comb across my....naw, I didn't do that.  What do I care what my hair looks like when I get up?

The first thing is to let the dog posse out and prepare their food bowls. I also do the cat creature.  I have to put her up on a table in the study to eat it, so the dogs won't get to it.  She is now too old and fat to jump onto the table, so I have to lift her up/

Ellie and Cocoa Bear get dry food, as does Pixie, although hers is a different food with smaller pebbles.  Boss-A-Man gets a mix of easy-to-chew-softer foods, as Boss-A-Man has very few teeth left.

I take Cocoa Bear for a walk in the mornings.  My foot/leg pains are acting up right now, so it's a bit of a challenge.  I know I don't get enough exercise, so as excruciating as it may be, I still feel the need to barrel through it.  Walking is painful, but I don't think it makes things worse.  I could be wrong.

------------------------------

I'm trying to discipline my work schedule to help give myself a little more routine.  I am taking Wednesday and Friday off.  This does not always fit the workflow, but I am determined to do it unless there is an emergency deadline.

---------------------------------

Mask policy has completely disintegrated wherever I go. I can't even say what's right or wrong anymore.  I will still wear a mask in most public situations.  

I was in Kroger Monday, and the sign in front now says that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in the store.  I wore mine anyway, out of habit, mostly.

While looking at a display of prepared fruit, a guy nearby saw me and started to engage in conversation.  He told me that he had done nothing to protect himself through this whole pandemic and had not gotten sick.  He attributed this miracle to God.

Disregarding the theological issues, one thing was clear.  This man was obviously unvaccinated, and he also was not wearing a mask.  

And that's the way I think it will be.  Most of those you see with masks are vaccinated because they were responsible enough to care about themselves and others.  In my opinion, the majority of those unvaccinated were not caring enough to wear a mask before - why should they now because we're on an "honors" system?

-------------------------

Speaking of going into maskless situations, I plan to attend an OHC Writer's Guild meeting Thursday night.  I have some fear and trepidation, but I will do my best to control that.  I also intend to do all I can to avoid leadership positions.  I don't need the stress.

---------------------------

I have had recurring dreams about being in public situations, and no one except me is masked.  Most of these have involved our church.  That nightmare came true last Sunday.  We had a vestry meeting Thursday trying to reestablish mask policy, accommodating the shifting guidelines of the diocese.  I thought that we had decided to continue wearing masks rather than putting special conditions on the unvaccinated.

That's not what happened.   On Sunday, it was decided before everyone got there that everyone there was vaccinated, so we didn't have to wear masks.  I tried to keep mine on for a while, but I soon gave up.  It's very confusing.  I know, for me, the mask may no longer be necessary, but it's been a way of life for over a year.

I'll get over it.  Eventually.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Invasion of the Unvaccinated!

 

Look, I get it.  The CDC is following science, and the scientific evidence leans heavily towards vaccinated people being protected, both from getting serious cases and giving serious cases to others.  So, it makes sense.  Those who are vaccinated do not need to mask anymore. Not outdoors.  Not indoors.

That's just great.  I mean, really, it is.  The country has shown remarkable progress in the last few months.  Cases and deaths are lowering.  We are on the right trajectory.

Our vaccination rate is the best in the world (boy, it feels like a long time since I could say the US was number in anything positive!).  Almost half the country has received at least one dose.  This is not herd immunity yet, but it doesn't factor in those who have had COVID and may or may not have developed temporary immunity.  So, we may be even closer than we think.

Here's the situation.  Vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, except where mandated by local governments or private businesses.  Unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks and follow cautious protocol.

And there's the rub.

People responsible enough to get vaccinated have had no trouble wearing a mask, and many will continue to be extra cautious and show support.

People, who at this point remain unvaccinated, were probably not responsible enough to wear a mask in the first place.  Some of you reading this may live in more responsible places, but here where I live?  It's always been the wild, wild west.

How will they enforce this?

Short answer - they won't.  They are leaving it up to the "honor system."

HA!

This may be extreme, but there is no honor among many (but not all) of the unvaccinated.  

A store puts up a sign saying that if you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask, but if you're unvaccinated, please wear a mask.  Hear that chortling in front of the store?  That's the unvaccinated laughing at the whole concept.

Most reactions will be one of the following:

I'm not wearing a mask.  They don't know whether I'm vaccinated or not, and because it's an honor system, no one will challenge me on it.

OR

Mask?  Are they kidding?  Why should I start wearing one NOW?

The reaction will definitely not be what the CDC is hoping for:

Oh, my!  I guess I have to put on my mask!  I wish I was like the vaccinated and able not to wear one.  I know!  I'll get my vaccine shots, so then I can go maskless too!

Yeah, CDC.  I hate to break it to you, but most people aren't wired that way.

I don't have a solution to this.  It may be a stage we have to go through.

I wish people behaved better.  It would help speed the fading of this deadly virus.  We are still in a race with variants.  But there is no reason to think the irresponsible are suddenly going to start being responsible now.

For me, I'll continue to wear my mask unless I'm with a group that's fully vaccinated.  Is it overdoing it?  Is it too cautious?  Maybe.  

But I know what side I want to err on.

Have the Rules Changed?

 Have the rules changed?

I collected unemployment once.  Back in 1995.  

It was humiliating.  It was only a tiny fraction of my employed wages.  Even if you were to add $300 a week, it was quite pitiful.  

And you couldn't just sit and collect it.  You had to go to classes to teach you how to look for a job.  You had to report you were looking for jobs.  I don't think, without a very good reason, that you could turn down a job.

I was only on it for a few weeks.  Not because I found a real job, but because I went in with somebody on a bookstore.  I had a lot of comics and trading cards, and I added those to her existing bookstore.  I also did a card/comic show at a mall about twice a month.  These efforts netted me virtually nothing, a significant drop from the unemployment check.  Nevertheless, I so much did not want to be on unemployment that I willingly gave it up.

During the height of the pandemic, under Trump and a Republican Senate, unemployment was fattened up to $600 additional per week.  Why?  Well, there were a lot of places shut down or with business COVID restrictions, and that meant a lot of temporary closures.  And they did not want people to fall into poverty or for the American economy to completely collapse.

Even with that, many people went back to work at the first opportunity, even at the sacrifice of that supposed sweet $600 a week.  Because despite the overwhelming prejudice of many ultra-conservatives, most Americans WANT TO WORK.

Fast forward to the present.  People on unemployment are getting HALF the boost that they were, $300.  And yet, the howling has begun.  With that and the $1400 per person payment, people are just too flush and lazy to want to work.

Bullcrap,

Yes, with COVID on the downswing (not over by a longshot, but there is hope on the horizon), the US leading the world in vaccinations, and yes, people having a little cash in their pockets, the economy is coming back.  And businesses at the forefront of that recovery spending, like restaurants and retail establishments, find themselves in need of quickly staffing up.

If we had a true capitalist society, this would mean huge pressure to boost wages and improve working conditions.  There is no evidence that is happening, at least on any large scale. At least not yet.

People want to work.  There are some, like me, that are paranoid and take what we can get.  Others want to make wages that make sense in supporting themselves and their families, and are as safe as possible.

Somebody who has recently been on unemployment, please let me know.  Have the rules changed?  Don't you have to demonstrate that you're actively looking?  Don't you have to take reasonable job offers?

Stop blaming a temporary boost in unemployment compensation for all the troubles of the American economy.  Stop blaming the working poor for an economic system designed to exploit them and keep them impoverished.

Let's redesign the system so that the boat is bigger and the middle class is stronger.