Quarantine for the Pandemic
Worldwide we find ourselves living in a brave new world. In the USA the reality distortion field of politics is been made physical by the pandemic. It is as though science fiction and newspeak have combined. The astounding incompetence of our leaders has been laid bare at the great expense of those whom they govern. Well, in this country at least you get what you pay for.
If you are over sixty you are strongly advised to self-quarantine and hope for the best. Wash your hands and don’t open the door to anyone. Millions of older people should isolate themselves from close family contact and potentially endure sickness or worse alone. I despair for those in their eighties and nineties who must survive with less help than they may need. Healthcare and social services are not a right in this country.
Maybe the people with the hardest choices are working class parents with families. Many if not most of them are without adequate health insurance or paid sick leave. Do they quarantine themselves at home and risk destitution or lie about being ill and continue working? What is the responsible choice when employers and government see them simply as units of labor?
As always when a crisis arises, life will be difficult for a few months then we will forget about the whole thing. In the meantime don’t forget to … Quarantine for the Pandemic.
Just to make things clear, I was born in the Intermountain West and raised in a military family. Most of the people I knew growing up owned and used guns. Even so, I’m convinced they are appalled by what the gun lobby does to make our children less safe.
When did it become acceptable for people, mostly men it must be said, to strut around in public with assault rifles, weapons of war? Despite what the NRA says it seems obvious that many consider military style arms to be nothing more than expensive if deadly toys. Carrying a flag and a gun is about all it takes to style yourself a hero these days.
Meanwhile children are paying with their lives for our lack of gun regulations. They are in the terrible position of having to learn to hide from gunmen at school and sometimes dying. Even though Americans have always owned guns this is the first generation to be subjected to the real possibility of violent mass death at school.
Guns are a problem. They need to be regulated in a serious responsible way. However the bigger problem is the lack of respect and care with which we treat the lives of our children.