Ma ma my Corona

Here we are...

Again. 

One day, I may consistently post on this here blog...

Alas, something that comes along once in a generation is upon us and I feel the need to say something... to the air, since no one else is actually listening.

As of yesterday, the US had 525,704 cases and 20,486 deaths.

If you look at it by the numbers that's .18% of the US infected and .007% of the US has died. Doesn't seem like much when you put it that way, right?

If you take into consideration the situation in other countries like Italy are far more grim, of course, there are a number of exacerbating factors there, as well. Such as their aging population and according to Italy,  99% of those who succumbed to the disease had at least one underlying condition.

FYI- Italy has a population of about 60 million. Approximately, 19,899 died as of this posting or .03%.

Sure, if you were a numbers person, it would be easy to shrug this off. Those who are dying had underlying conditions, culling the herd, etc.

Fortunately enough for us, we are human and don't think about things in that way. Whether one person dies or 300 million, it's still tragic. It's still something we need to do everything in our power to combat.

This weekend was particularly eye opening for me.

I have EVERYTHING I need. While not a prepper by any means of the word, I live in a world where I never run out of things. I think it comes from being so impoverished as a child. Once you have no soap to wash your hands or toilet paper to wipe your behind, you have a tendency to make sure those things are covered in adulthood.

So, why was this weekend eye opening? A couple of reasons.

First, I take my dog for walks. It's been fun. She needs to run, but I am not fortunate enough to have a yard, so... a billion walks a day it is... Well, and sometimes we ride bikes, but it's too hot to do this for very long.

When I go on these walks, I expect to see a few people out. Sure. I mean, I have to walk my dog, so does everyone else.

The parks are closed. Well, they have signs saying they are closed. Unfortunately, as sign is just a sign. Every time I walk past the park, there is someone in it. They are riding their bikes, playing soccer, playing volleyball, etc. THESE PARKS ARE CLOSED and yet, they aren't.

So, I get home and I watch SNL. You know, the awkward one they did this week from their homes and using zoom? Michael Che mentions his grandmother died of COVID this past week. And, that's heartbreaking enough. Although, I cannot relate because my grandmother died 20 years ago. But, then... then, they had a tribute to their music producer Hal Willner. Hal, by all accounts was an amazing man; surely a talented one. The kind of uncle you wanted to have at Thanksgiving dinner. And, now? He's gone. Another COVID victim. While I have known 2 people on my personal periphery to pass from COVID, this was particularly shocking to me. It's everywhere. It's touching everyone. There is no escape.

I am not ready to call a win in the name of the apocalypse. Not even close. Even though my mother and sister have started to panic by the number of food plants shutting down. I still have faith we will be okay. We survived the H1N1 of 1918. We survived many a plagues before. The only one that plunged us into complete mayhem was the Bubonic plague that preceded the Dark Ages. Hopefully, times will not get that dark.

My biggest concern is that people aren't taking this seriously. The people in the park, the people worried about their rights being infringed upon, the people having parties. There are far too many people just walking around like nothing is going on. Like COVID is a minor inconvenience. For you, it may be. For Hal Wilner and Martha (Che's grandmother) it most certainly is much more than that.

Forget the politicians. Forget the pundits. Listen to the DOCTORS. Dr. Fauci has done this FOREVER. Why wouldn't we follow his lead?

My final thoughts come in the form of a checklist, to be completed frequently:

1. Wash your hands
2. Wear your mask
3. Avoid crowds
4. Listen to health officials
5. Remember this world doesn't revolve around you

President Donald J. Trump

Today, I am tired and weary. I have spent the majority of my night up and down. Crying even. This feeling is something that is not unique to me. Many of my brothers and sisters feel the same way. Today, I will try to place what has happened into its larger context. I will not focus on the differences between Trump and Clinton, but on how we, as a nation, can move forward.

So, if you're reading this, you know by now that Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States. If you're a white, heterosexual, male or privileged in any other way, you rejoiced. If you are in any way not a member of these traditionally accepted and protected groups, you found the result of the 2016 election troubling, nightmarish, and difficult to digest.

The question is: where do we go from here?

The truth of the matter is that candidate Trump did not lay a single plan for how he was going to accomplish his goals of building a wall, preventing immigration, etc. In fact, the only thing he successfully presented throughout the campaign is that he knows absolutely nothing about the way the U.S. political and bureaucratic system works. He will appoint those who he made deals with along the way to high offices within his administration. Those individuals will know absolutely nothing about the way things work as well.

Take Rudy Giuliani for example. He informed reporters that FBI officials told him about the second round of emails. He then backtracked to say that it was former FBI agents. If he had a clue, he would know what all those with high security clearances know--you take that information with you to the grave. PERIOD. What Giuliani did was inconceivable and, in my mind, illegal. What the "former FBI agents" did was 100% illegal.

Or, what about Trump's wall? You know, the one he said Mexico would pay for, but then Mexico said they won't pay for. We can't afford to fix our roads, how are we gonna build a wall? We are threatening to deport people of color who overwhelmingly work in construction, who is going to build it? Oh, and what will this wall look like? How will we prevent people from climbing it, electric barbed wire like in Gaza? How will we prevent people from going under it? Flooding holes we see in our nation's backyard, lifeless bodies be damned? Where there is a will, there is a way; all we are doing is making it more dangerous for people to make it across the border, not stopping their attempts. Remember the truck with 40 dead immigrants found inside in Texas? Congratulations. You just made wanting the American Dream a crime punishable by death.

So, where does that leave us. Make no mistake, Trump is not a rejection of the status quo. Trump is the embracing of the older status quo that so many have fought to uproot. He is white bourgeoisie who made deals with political foes who were aligned with similar ideologies along the way. He has outsourced jobs to China and participated in unfair labor practices for years. Are we supposed to believe this will end overnight? Are we supposed to believe that he will suddenly hold the American economy in the highest priority when he never has before? Or, will he think like a business man and try to maximize the profit of the few at the expense of the many? Electing Trump is no different than electing Walmart in human form. Hell, Walmart should run in 2020. The Supreme Court has already declared personhood for corporations. Nothing can stop them now.

Like so many of you, I do not hold a Trump Presidency in the highest of hopes. At best, he will be a lame duck president from day one. His 70+ lawsuits, which I hope are not dropped now, may keep him busy for a while (of course, this means he won't be running the country, but hey, America voted for him anyway). At worst, he will undo every ounce of progress made under Obama. Either way, America loses.

To the Democrats and the Republicans:

The clock is starting over. The time to think of 2020 is now. Both parties need to put together viable candidates in order to win. Neither actually did so. The Republicans barely came out on top. In key elections, such as the Presidential one and the Florida Senate race between Rubio and Murphy, the Republican party only edged out a win because of subpar candidates. If you think the backlash against Republicanism was great post Bush, imagine what it will be after 4 years of Trump.

To the Republicans: men like Trump, Christie, Jindal, and Rubio are NOT the future of your party. It's time to use this as your phoenix moment--Rise from the ashes. Sure, you pandered to the racist, misogynist, vile part of your party--you gambled and won. But, in an America where the "other" is becoming the majority, will you continue to hold power by pandering to these groups? Doubtful.

To the Democrats: the future of your party is CLEAR. YOU MUST BRING MORE PROGRESSIVE LEADERS TO THE TABLE. There's a reason why Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are more popular than Clinton. It's not because they offer something free; it's because they offer the chance at the American Dream. We want to believe it still exists. We want to believe that America is everything we were promised it to be as children. It's hard to do when the Democratic frontrunner was mostly contested to be the frontrunner, was bathed in scandal, and seemed more like a Republican than a member of the democratic base.

To the American people: in the next four years you get to decide the kind of America you want to live in. You can be inclusive and embrace our differences, focusing on what we can do together OR you can continue to be divisive and standoffish. Systems predicated on hate and exclusion ALWAYS fall. Will America be the shining example on a hill that it was meant to be or will we fall in our own arrogance?

I'm new here...

Today, I did something I have never done before. I almost regret it, but it was too late to take it back. Kinda funny how technology works. I sent it, therefore, it is said.

Earlier this afternoon, I saw a video shared by Shaun King, our modern day Civil Rights leader, which was recorded in Standing Rock, North Dakota. This video showed a reporter getting shot. ACTUALLY SHOT! (Yes, it was with a rubber bullet, but seriously, that is not the point.) The reporter shared the video, which was graphic to say the least, showing her interviewing a native protestor and the subsequent shooting.

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, which is easy considering the lack of mainstream media coverage of the situation, in Standing Rock, North Dakota, protests by Natives and their allies have begun in response to what is being referred to as the Dakota Access Pipeline or DAPL. This pipeline, designed to bring oil through the region, will disrupt Native lands, people, cultural practices, burial grounds, and place great risk upon the water source of a Sovereign Nation--one placed there after white Americans slaughtered, sickened, and destroyed their people. Since the DAPL was proposed, it has been opposed, but in recent weeks, the dire situation has taken a violent turn as what can only be described as militarized police have disrupted their protests. Unfortunately, the situation has not gotten any better. Queue the video: http://yt2fb.com/id_874361/

Upon seeing this video, I thought to myself, what can I do? I could go to Standing Rock? Not really. It's not close. I don't have the spare change and I have obligations here. Excuses? Maybe. But, I'm still home and I still don't have a plane ticket.

So, what can I do?

I had a bright idea. I was going to tell President Obama that it was time for him to act. I'm an American. I voted for him twice. He seems reasonable. Maybe if enough people call for him to take action, it will happen.

So, a letter? Nah, that takes too long.

I've got it! A facebook message!

So, I went to facebook, to the White House page and I sent a message to President Obama. Yeah, like he's gonna read it, right? ABSOLUTELY! They say that he reads 10 a night and responds. Will he read mine? Probably not. But, hey, if there is even a shot he will and he will intervene, I just won.

I will not bore you with the message. It was short and sweet, but the important part is that I did something. You should too. We need to do more in support of other people. We need to be better. We need to look past our own noses and start acting like we are in this together--because we ARE!

In the meantime, I will try to focus on what I can do to help so many miles away. I need to do more. I need to not feel hopeless. I need to stand in solidarity. I hope you will join me.

 

Hello, boys! I'm baaaaaaack!

So, it's literally been 4 years. I told you in my bio that I was going to start my PhD. I had no idea what that meant, apparently.

So, I graduated. I have a PhD in Sociology. And, I'm back to being bored. So, your win is that I get to write here. I am going to try to channel some of this nervous energy into something new. Stay tuned.

~enoneal1

The Whole World is Watching

"The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!"

This chant became famous (or infamous, depending on which side of the story you were on) during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, in which demonstrators clashed with the police, resulting in violent upheaval. In an unprecedented moment, anti-war action was televised and for the first time, Americans (and even the world) saw what was going on around them. (Useless Trivia Moment: this chant came from a Bob Dylan song "When the Ship Comes In", remembering, of course, that the Weather Underground also took its name from a Bob Dylan Song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues").

Of course, I am not really discussing protests in this post (although, I could because daily throughout the world, even in America there is a protest of some sort), so I want you to realize that I prefaced my intended dialogue with this opening to discuss what it really means when the "whole world is watching".

The truth behind the words is often that even though the world is watching, the world is not necessarily willing or able to get involved. Let's be honest, this day and age, we know what is going on in the world around us. We have an unprecedented ability to ascertain certain knowledge, via a variety of media sources, which puts us at an advantage to our ancestors. We can, at a moment's notice, have the entire world at our fingertips.

Given this advantage, one might assume that it would make us more likely to both understand and even intervene in the world around us. If it's broke, we should be the one to fix it, right? It's our world, we need to take responsibility for it, right? (Disclaimer: by our world, I mean that it is owned by the population of the world, not by America, just for clarification).

The truth of the matter is that we do not do so. We may know what is going on, but we have a certain reluctance to want to get involved. The bystander effect* offers some insight into the phenomenon, but can we apply this to entire countries? 

America, for it's part has always been an isolationist state. While it has been known to stick it's nose into conflict, generally speaking the people of the United States do not want to go around poking their noses where they don't belong (I'm paraphrasing, of course). Before WWI, Woodrow Wilson was able to run on a platform of "He Kept Us Out of War". America, as you know, then resumed it's isolationist attitude until December 7, 1941. During his address following Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the Japanese empire had "awakened a sleeping giant". (Just an FYI, in case you missed it, Pearl Harbor opened the door for FDR to intervene in Europe and take on Hitler's plan for extermination). America, for it's past endeavors, has boasted in it's isolationism.

Now, of course, there have been some exceptions since the WWII era-- the Korean War, Vietnam, meddling in the Iranian- Iraqi Conflict, assisting Afghanistan when they were invaded by Russia, two wars in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and the list could continue. That being said, as demonstrated by my opening statement, the popularity for these actions has not always been stellar. Americans for their part in the world, want to remain isolationist. They want to focus on problems at home and let abroad fix itself.

But, what happens when incidents arise in which someone should act? We know that the Holocaust was one such incident, but what about others. For this I want to highlight one such instance as a warning of caution for why we should be careful in letting the bystander effect dictate foreign policy. What I am speaking about of course, is the Bosnian Civil War (also called the Serbian Civil War, the Yugoslav Wars, etc.), which ran from 1991-1995. During this civil war-- a war in which the whole world was watching as it unfolded every night on television-- an estimated hundred thousand people were killed via systematic massacre, or genocide (Srebrenica, for example), via sniper fire (Sarajevo, etc.), or taken hostage, while millions more were displaced from their homes. With all of these atrocities being televised, it may come as a shock to realize that it took approximately 3 years for outside forces to intervene on behalf of the victims. It has taken many more years for these war criminals to be brought to justice.

So, why is this important now? Because once again, we have a conflict playing out on our televisions (now on our computer screens as well) and we continue to do nothing. I am, of course, talking about the conflict in Syria. With bombings, allegations of genocide and other war crimes being thrown around on a daily basis, it's a wonder as to why we have not done more to bring an end to the violence. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the Syrians need us (we are not American liberators to be greeted with flowers, candy and a ticker tape parade), but that the world, in a collective action should do more to investigate these allegations and stop any war crimes, making sure that they bring those who may be responsible to justice. It is not enough for the world to be watching, the world must some how learn to act, in order to save lives. After all, if we were in a similar situation, wouldn't we want someone to do the same?

*Bystander effect: a psychological phenomenon in which those who are watching do not intervene in situations because they feel that it is not their responsibility to get involved, that others may do it for them, or have a greater responsibility, or that if others are not getting involved, then they will some how be penalized for doing so.

Think Twice: Reflections on the Kandahar Massacre

On March 11th, 17 Afghan civilians were gunned down in their homes, while they slept in their beds. No one was spared. Men, women and children were massacred at will, without discrimination. The perpetrator of these atrocities? U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a 38 year old from Norwood, Ohio.

In the weeks that have passed, the United States government has apologized for the heinous crimes a member of our armed forces has committed, as it should. They cut a check for $50,000 for each relative slain (cause that's somehow suppose to make them feel better?). They promised to seek justice for the victims. Case closed, right? Of course not. Two things in particular concern me about this incident. 

First, new information is being released internationally that suggests that there is more to this story than one rogue officer losing it in the middle of the night. A couple things that are coming out of this late breaking version of events is that there are reports that the U.S. was alerted by Afghan soldiers about an American soldier who was leaving the base, acting suspicious and could be up to no good (they were alerted more than once and Bales left, came back and left again, without anyone doing anything to stop him). Secondly, eye witness accounts suggest that Bales may not have been acting alone. Children who are interviewed often refer to American soldierS (notice the S) who participated in the massacre.

You can go anywhere and hear this news, but if you follow this link, you'll get a transcript of one of the victims' accounts: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1637849/%27US-alerted-over-Bales-behaviour%27

My second concern is that there are too many instances of atrocities committed by our armed forces have come to light since this round of wars began in 2001. One is one too many, but to have several very serious incidents, shows an unfortunate pattern.

The three major instances (before this one) that I am thinking of are:

1. Abu Ghraib (not in Afghanistan, but as with most Americans, in my mind, this multifront war is one in the same.) I don't really need to explain this one, because EVERYONE knows this story.

2. SS- Scout Snipers- Basic information here: a sniper group working inside of Afghanistan used the SS symbol (Uh, that's a WWII, German, Hitler reference, for those of you who slept through your history classes). For more information: http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/exclusive-marines-nazi-flag-whistleblower-talks

3. Soldiers urinating on dead Taliban fighters (once again, a reference you won't even need to google, because you've heard it before).

These were the big three, until Staff Sergeant Bales went for a walk.

As with most Americans, I do spend a great deal of time worried about the U.S. image overseas. I could blame George Bush for the way the world sees us, but the truth is, our reputation has been a long time coming. We spend so much time "defending the world" and "defending ourselves" that we tend to lose certain inalienable truths in translation.

This was not the first time a U.S. soldier lost his sanity and massacred civilians in the middle of a war. I am, of course, referring to the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War, in which U.S. soldiers of Charlie company massacred hundreds of My Lai residents, including women, children, babies, the elderly, etc. The only assumed difference between these two actions is the number of victims and the number of accused perpetrators.

My greatest concern with the mission being lost in translation is that if we continue down the current course of destructive behavior, our reputation will be the least of our worries. This type of behavior shows a disintegration of true American values and ideals and poses a greater threat to our nation than any terrorist plot. It is imperative that we get down to the truth of what happened in Kandahar Province, that we hold all those involved accountable and that we make provisions to make sure that it does not happen again. We need to teach tolerance and only allow those who are of sound mind to enter combat.

Once again, I caution you to realize that this is not an inherent truth of the armed forces. I am not blaming the armed forces as a whole and I believe that the majority of the men and women who serve are upstanding citizens answering their nation's call admirably. I will say that these events mentioned above concern me, as they should concern not only members of the armed forces, but all Americans.

We cannot truly know what was going through Staff Sgt. Bales' head. Is he legally insane? Possibly. Could there be more like him? Definitely. And we need to find those individuals and get them the help they need before tragedy strikes.

The New Emmett Till?

So, it's been while since my last post. As I told my sister this morning, I've been lacking the motivation necessary to sit and write. Not lacking the topics, just lacking the urge to put my thoughts out there. That changes today.

This story is true. If you haven't heard it already, you might want to change your cable or internet provider. You might want to renew your lease with civilization and crawl out from underneath the rock in which you live.

The story I'm talking about, of course, is that of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Yes, I know, it's awfully loaded of me to call it a murder right out of the gate, but hey, if I can't be honest to myself and the world on my own blog, then well, where's that rock of yours? Move over.

Why does my opinion on this matter? Because, I live in Seminole County, Florida. Check your maps, that's where this whole thing took place. As a taxpayer of this community, I have the right to demand justice for the sons and daughters of MY community.

First, the facts (for you cave dwellers):

On February 26th, 2012, 17 year old Trayvon Martin was walking home from a convenience store (Arizona tea and skittles in hand, wearing the now infamous hoodie). George Zimmerman, a resident of this community, saw Trayvon and made the decision to end his life. These are the only facts that we know, aside from a few eye witness statements (which I frequently disregard, because as an aspiring Sociologist, I know that humans see what they want to see). 

The rest of the blanks, those on either side of the argument consistently fill in with whatever they choose. That's fine. We see this all the time. I, for one, have gotten so used to reading in between the lines, that I do it automatically (sometimes when there is nothing to see).

Here's my conjecture. I say conjecture, because I, unlike everyone else, am willing to admit that I was not present the night that Trayvon died. George Zimmerman saw Trayvon, assumed the worst, fulfilling every stereotype about young black men in America (one perpetuated by every race, not just whites), let a racism that is still deeply embedded in American culture get the best of him and he pulled the trigger. On George Zimmerman's 9-1-1 call, he tells the dispatcher that Trayvon was "walking around looking at all the houses". Of course, the last time I did that, no one called me suspicious, or called the police, but who am I to assume anything on that one. After the dispatcher tells him not to pursue Trayvon, Zimmerman does so anyway. The end result is the death of a 17 year old. 

As this story continues to unfold, I am forever reminded of another story that shook America to its core nearly 57 years ago. The story I am referring to is, of course, that of 14 year old Emmett Till. On August 28th, 1955, Emmett Till, a Chicago native, visiting relatives in Mississippi, was beaten to death and disposed of in the Tallahatchie River. His crime? Whistling at a pretty white woman. Trayvon's crime? Looking at pretty houses.

Both of these stories are tragic, both could have been prevented and both have yet to see justice. Emmett Till's murders were acquitted of their crime and Trayvon's murderer has yet to even see the inside of a jail cell. Now, we could blame the law for Zimmerman walking,  but to be honest, the law in this case is being misused to undermine justice and to avoid having the discussion. By the discussion, I mean the one where we discuss where civil rights stand, right now, actually in this country. 

I don't want to get into a debate on Florida's stand your ground law, but I will say this: this law doesn't apply here. No where in the law does it say that you have the right to pursue, apprehend, or pull the trigger when your life is NOT in danger (hint: if you're having to pursue, your life IS NOT in danger). Zimmerman's life was not in danger. As one of my friends said, "What was Trayvon gonna do, make him taste the rainbow?". Seriously, what was a 17 year old, even one who played football and probably lifted weights, gonna do against a 28 year old man? Especially, when Zimmerman even told the dispatcher that Trayvon was "getting away". Zimmerman was adamant that Trayvon was not going to get away. And, unfortunately, Zimmerman made good on his promise.

What have we learned from all this? So far, nothing. We will not learn from this until Zimmerman is arrested and convicted for his crimes. I whole heartedly believe that. I am reminded of a quote from the movie Ghosts of Mississippi: "No man is above the law... When that kind of murder happens, no matter who the victim, no matter what their race, there is a gaping wound laid open on society as a whole. Justice has sometimes been referred to the soothing balm to be applied to the wounds inflicted on society, but when there is no justice, those wounds can never be cleansed". This applies here. We need to see justice prevail. We need to let society heal.

Now, I should mention, for those of you who have never been to the south, that racism is not rampant. Not every white person in the south is a racist and it should be noted that most of Central Florida is outraged by this situation. I for one, have not met someone around here who actually defends Zimmerman. What this situation does show us is that we have spent so much time sweeping racism under the rug, so afraid to talk about it for so long, so afraid that discussing race is seeing race and seeing race is racist, that now we have found ourselves in the midst of  an emblazoned battle in which race and race relations has to be discussed. Wouldn't it have been easier to discuss it openly, to embrace our differences in order to understand them better and remove the racial xenophobia? Perhaps.

This topic could go on forever. In fact, it seems like it has, but I won't dwell on it for the sake of dwelling. If there is one thought that I would like to leave you with, it's the following: there is one thing that we can all agree on coming out of this situation-- love your children. Treat your neighbor's child like you would your own. Love everyone for who they are: black/white/Hispanic/ etc., gay/ straight/ other. Learn to celebrate the differences, get to know the differences and embrace them.