COVID-19 An Account April 19,2020

It’s 2:00am and as usual I’m having a difficult time sleeping. I feel like if I’m not completely exhausted I’ll just toss and turn all night.
The last time I wrote, the death toll was around 26,000. Now only a few days later it’s up around 34,000. Still there are people understating the facts. They say things like there are this many people who die of lung cancer every year and we don’t shut everything down; and this many people drown in pool accidents etc. but most of the things they talk about are not brand new highly contagious viruses with no known treatment or cure. Apples to bulldogs, right? Now there are protesters who say their rights are being violated and the state governments have no right to compel people to stay at home. I understand. Had this happened 30 years ago, I would have had an incredibly difficult time. At that point I was living paycheck to paycheck and barely that. Losing my job would have been devastating.  I currently have a lot of friends who are really struggling. The government has approved $1200.00 to every citizen to help, but for many that won’t go very far. I understand people wanting to go back to work and begin getting a paycheck again, but not being careful in the process could have horrible consequences. I feel like it will extend the effects of the virus even longer. The protesters don’t understand that the countries that have fared better were extremely strict with their “stay at home” orders. I saw a documentary where the police in China were literally welding doors shut of people who violated the orders. Victims of COVID19 were being forcibly dragged away to be quarantined.  Here in the USA, we don’t do that sort of thing. People would be up in arms! We do have freedom, but some are not being smart about social distancing or even wearing masks. The whole thing will be prolonged if we're not adamant.
There are also those who figure a certain amount of casualties is acceptable, but um, NO! No one should die for someone else’s convenience.  It's hard for everyone. We need to remember our  humanity. Please.

COVID-19 An Account April 10, 2020

As though it's not enough to be trying to stay inside, it has to rain too.  Don't get me wrong. I love the rain.  I think it's just the sky being grey. I lose all track of time. It seems like 7:00am all day. I've been keeping busy, and things are not all that different for me to be honest.  I think it's just the not being allowed to spend time outside or with your family or friends.  You never really appreciate something until it's taken away, right? Freedom is never more valued until it's been removed from your life.  I feel fortunate that I have my home and food when I know others are struggling. I just hope this doesn't actually last a year and a half like the experts are saying it might; that they are giving us the worst case scenario, but it will really be much less time.
They extended the "Shelter in Place" end date to May 15 (I think that's the date) not that I think we will be able to venture out much by then,  It hasn't even really hit our area yet.  There are cases. Just a few, but then that's how it always starts,  I expect it will get much worse before the coast will be clear.
I just deleted a whole section of my writing because I realized I was ranting again. I don't want to always be doing that. Today, I'm just thankful for the rain.  I'm in California. Rain is a good thing.

COVID-19 An Account April 5, 2020

I just can't listen to him anymore.  His lies are so obvious. He tells the American people that everything is under control, and it is clearly not.  New York is running out of ventilators after Trump decided there weren't as many needed as was requested. Taking the word of Jared Kushner who has NO experience in anything related to a pandemic. If it's thought that the request was over estimated, than experts should have been consulted as to what actually was needed.  People are dying. How many times must it be said?  Isn't it better to have more than you need than to have people dying needlessly?
Speaking of dying needlessly, there are churches (pastors, ministers, etc.) compelling their congregations to attend during all this, even going so far as laying hands and other physical practices.  I'm not saying that I don't believe that God could protect them, but I do believe that if God gives you doctors, scientists and leaders who are warning you not to go out and gather in groups, than maybe you should listen. It's like that story when a man is stranded in the middle of the ocean. He prays to God "Save me! I know you will save me, I have faith in you." A boat goes by and the man says "I'm okay! God is going to save me!" An airplane and a helicopter go by and he says the same thing. After a while the man prays "God, why have you not saved me?" and God answered: "I sent you a boat, an airplane and a helicopter and you turned them away!" God is telling you to listen to the experts. He will still listen when you're not at church. Your faith is in your heart, not in a building.
The problem is that some people, and there is no effort to change this, believe that President Trump was sent from God, that he is "the chosen one". These are Trump's words. This is a man who has been married several times, has been unfaithful to at least some of those wives, who says things like "You can grab them by the p#&%$" in regards to women.  He is someone who lies on a regular basis (this has been fact checked) and clearly thinks of himself above all others. He has no humility or even an ounce of humanity. He's totally okay with separating children from their parents/families. He's clearly racist, homophobic and misogynistic. This is their "chosen one"? Wow. Good luck with that. I have tried not to call names because I know that I have friends and even family members who support Donald Trump. I try and respect everyone's opinion, but the Republican Party is out of control.  Their greed is overwhelming. I watch as the rich get richer and the rest of us pay for it. How much do you need before you stop grabbing it from others? It all makes no sense to me. The people I know who are the most kind hearted and generous, are usually the ones who don't have very much. It's a sacrifice to give to others and yet they still do.  The rich hold on to their money like an oyster, clamping down to protect it's pearl, but someday, someone will pry them open. I kinda' feel sorry for what's coming for them...kinda'.
Meanwhile our president takes "no responsibility" for anything, not his delay in responding, nor his incompetence in getting much needed supplies to hospitals all over our country. He keeps claiming he's doing a great job, as more people die every day. The federal government is not a "shipping clerk" and they are only a "back up". Um, no. Once you've announced a "National Emergency" it's YOUR job to make sure the states have what they need. It's your job to coordinate getting the word out, to secure supplies, distribute those supplies, and listen to the experts for guidance.  WE PAY YOU! You are supposed to put the American people FIRST. Get over yourself and do your job Mr. Trump. Now.

Thank you to the Mayfair Monsoons Marching Corps for this image.

COVID-19 An Account April 1,2020

Well, no poems yet, but I got the prompt and am working on something. It usually takes a few days to get myself in poeming form.
So what's happening on the COVID-19 front? Not much new sadly. I did see a report that stated the virus has more cases in my city, so that's...great.  The governors of several states have been speaking up about their needs, some of them carefully speaking in order not to piss off his majesty.  Apparently you must be "nice" to him in order to get the medical supplies you need.  I saw someone on Facebook trying to defend him saying that some of us only look at the negative things and ignore anything positive. The problem in this particular situation is that people are DYING because he's being petty. People are dying because he shut down the Pandemic Task Force. That'll never happen right? Why waste money on something that's never going to happen? He tried to defend his earlier comments about the Corona Virus being no big deal, by saying. he was just trying to be positive, what's wrong with that? It's wrong because people took you at your word, and some STILL refuse to follow the stay at home guidelines and that endangers all of us.  Apparently he was also trying to be positive when he turned down the World Health Organization's offer of testing kits. No, we can do it ourselves. We are the United States, after all.  How'd that work out? Not all that well. "Anyone who wants to be tested can be tested," he said. That's not true either, even weeks now after he said it.  As for me, I have to fight the feeling that I just want him to get COVID-19, because as bad a job as I think he's doing, I'm not like that; but every morning I wake up, usually around 4:00 in the morning, and I'm worried. I try deep breathing, meditation, scrolling through pictures of my grandsons, anything to stave away the fear. Nothing works. I imagine myself going to the hospital with no chance to say goodbye to my kids, grand-kids, mom, brothers, sisters, friends...and I never come home.  I wouldn't be the first, or the last.
It's not Donald Trump's fault that this virus exists or even that it's spreading around the world. It is his fault that for too long, he ignored the experts. It is his fault that he's more excited about the ratings of his news conferences, than he is about doing his job; and it is his fault that people are dying because of his lies and his wanting to be "positive" at a time when he should have been preparing the people in this country about what was coming. Maybe you think I'm just listening to the "liberal news", and believing all the hoaxes and lies. Nope. I actually fact check. I listen to his whole speeches, not just sound bites. I hear what is coming out of his mouth and I look up his tweets to make sure someone isn't just saying those are his words. I see him bash people that he doesn't like and try to intimidate people with those tweets, and with his own words.  He abuses his power by silencing reporters and then announcing that what they are asking is fake news, all the while refusing to answer the important questions. He keeps bringing up the impeachment as a hoax when he was the one who refused to release witnesses and documents. If someone is innocent, why would they be concerned about witnesses? His minions voted against removal so he thinks he's won. That's not winning. That's cheating. He fired people who spoke out against him. That's not a president, that's a dictator. If you're thinking I'm making all this up, than do a little homework. Watch another news channel. Better yet, watch a news channel from another country, They have no "agenda" to make the president look bad. They just tell it like they see it. Maybe you aren't afraid EVERY DAY that you are going to die, and die suffocating, in pain...alone because of his pettiness and incompetence.
I am.

Suddenly I'm inspired to write my poem. What do ya' know?