Time for Shutdown 2.0

Recently, 150 public health experts called on the federal government to shut down all non-essential businesses across the nation. Listen to and follow these scientists' and doctors' advice. It is long past time for Shutdown 2.0.
Actually we never had a real national shutdown, just as we have never had a national mask mandate. We did have a brief slow-down-to-contain phase. This failed to contain the virus because we could not contain our desire to get back to normal life. But life is not normal and we cannot simply wish normality into being.
We must contain the virus and that means accepting a truth bomb. All but essential workers need to stay home for an extended period. We need to dial way back on our social and work activities. This is how other countries have managed the virus and it has worked fairly well. They have flare-ups but they are manageable.
This shutdown needs to be comprehensive and simultaneous. It does little good to shut down some states and not others; to have bars open in one state but open next door. Folks will just go next door. This needs to be federal and include restrictions on interstate travel.
Reopening schools is a hot topic right now. How can we do it safely? Right now, we can't. Just can't.
But take the short term pain right now of closing for a month and in-person school may become possible. Otherwise, we condemn ourselves and our fellow Americans to many months of climbing death tolls, exhausted healthcare workers, many thousands of people with long term post-Covid health problems, a devastated economy, and millions of destitute unemployed people. Is this really what we want? Why would anyone want this?
An extended shutdown, painful as it sounds, is the fastest, cheapest, least disruptive way to handle Covid and open the door to a post-Covid (or at least contained Covid) future.
The federal government and states' governors need to do what is right for the American people - and the economy. Follow the example of other industrialized countries who had the good sense to shut down early in their outbreaks, provide income for citizens to keep food on the table and bills paid, enforce the lockdown and then slowly, carefully emerge. Many of these nations are reaping the rewards of their national sacrifice by reopening schools, lifting gathering limits, relaunching sports.
All this requires qualities that are, to put it kindly, not seen in abundance in our federal government just now, qualities like empathy, compassion, logic, courage. The current plan of having no plan cannot be allowed to continue. We tried to skip the hard part and just go back to pre-Covid life.
It will likely take a lot of us joining our voices with those 150 experts to demand our government do the right thing, shutting down the country to shut down Covid.

No substitute for logic in school opening debate

I have been a substitute teacher in my school district for several years. Let me drop a truth bomb on you about how a Trump-wished full re-opening would work.

It won't.

It's that simple. Not much is certain or simple these days but that is. Remember the old physics adage about the irresistible force and the immovable object? Except *3 is not the irresistible force he thinks he is. He cannot wish Covid-19 away. None of us can. The virus must be tamed, which will take effective leadership, science, lots of money, public-spiritedness, smarts, and creativity. Add pain and determination. Only then can we all, including schools, get back to something like normal.

Here are just a few of the logistical issues related to staffing - Schools would have to massively increase faculty, janitorial staff, and bus drivers. Classes would need to be *much* smaller. I have subbed classes with 30 students in a room. That won't work. It won't be safe for students or faculty.

Who is going to teach these much smaller classes and where? We will get to the "where" a bit later. It is hard for some schools to attract and keep enough good teachers in the best of times. Now many teachers nearing retirement age or who have health problems will not want to return to the classroom. Who will take their place?

Subs like myself often fill in not just for teachers out a day or two for illness or a meeting, but longer term until the school can find a new certified permanent teacher for that spot. There are not enough of us to go around on a good day, due to low pay and utter lack of respect from students. Many of us are older and we do not want to expose ourselves to Covid any more than our permanent counterparts. I doubt we will be able to fill the staffing void even if we are brave enough to set foot on campus, which I, for one, am not.

Janitorial staff will be another personnel issue. I don't think I have ever served on a campus that had sufficient janitorial staffing to keep a school even moderately clean, with restroom supplies stocked. And that was before Covid turned us all into germaphobes. Many more cleaners will be needed to constantly decontaminate surfaces and keep restrooms and handwashing stations stocked.

Transporting kids to school, whether on staggered days or shifts throughout the day will require a lot of bus drivers. We can't have kids crammed together on busses for two hours and that is how long the ride takes for some. We will need many more drivers and more busses, as well as mechanics to keep those busses going as these overused machines often break down. We will also need crews just to decontaminate the buses between sets of riders.

Physical space is another issue. Where will these smaller classes be held? Schools in my district don't have empty rooms. I have seen classrooms jerry rigged in hallways because schools don't have the space they need. I have conducted classes out in the "portables" that many campuses have because they cannot afford to add on permanent space. I have seen dyslexia teachers have to take her materials around the school all day to teach her students in whatever classroom *is* vacant at that time due to its regular occupants being PE or at lunch. Getting students safely from one room to another between classes will be another major issue. Keep them all together in one classroom all day? They get antsy after 30 minutes. This would also limit/remove enrichment activities like art, which typically has its own room.

Where is the money for increased staffing and hazard mitigation going to come from? School budgets were beyond tight before Covid. Now districts will have far less money and many more expenses. How is that math going to work?

In short, school is going to have to be hybrid online/onsite if it is onsite at all. Our districts are going to need much more financial support, regardless of how education is delivered in the fall.

Projected evolution of Donald Trump's public statements on Murder Hornets

Based on his response to Covid-19, here is how I expect Donald Trump's thinking to evolve (devolve) regarding the threat of murder hornets.

These so-called killy-things people are talking about do not exist. They are made up! It's just the Democrats and the lying fake news media trying to make me look bad. Whoever heard of big bees that can kill people? It's stupid. Stop talking about it.

Those flying bite things people are talking about do exist and I've always said they exist. Just check the record. But they're just like little gnats or something. No big deal. I had Jared Google them. Stop overreacting. Stop worrying.

I've been telling people all along these bugs are big. They are in fact bigger than a usual bug and a bit worrisome but it's OK. My wall will keep them out of this country. Mark my words. You're welcome America. Now say "thank you."

So a few of those stingy things somehow made it over the wall. Or avoided the wall on our southern border by coming in from the north and from Canada. Who knew they were so smart? But not to worry. They aren't going to hurt Americans. Be assured of that.

Now these Murder Hornets are a problem, as I have been warning everyone and no one would listen. They sting and it hurts. It even deaths some people. These are not "let's play fetch" insects. They are not pretty little "smell the flower" things. They are death things and death is bad. But don't worry. I have my best people on it. These bugs will disappear suddenly. Just go "whish" and they are away. Won't that be nice? Any day now. Until then, the honeybees can take care of themselves.

As I've said all along these bugs are an ongoing problem. They will be with us awhile. But are they *real* bugs? Like from nature bugs? My advisers are telling me they could actually be little, tiny drones sent to spy on us *and* attack us. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? No, I don't have "proof!" Why would I need "proof?" I am telling you they are drones!

So bug spray is apparently not doing much against the bugs, which Mother Nature made because she hates me. She is such a nasty woman. So, just thinking out loud here. Just spit-ballin'. Repellant does not work. How about a flamethrower? Yeah! let's have people try that. Just aim a flamethrower at your arm or wherever the hornets (or should I say whore-nets) sting. Problem solved. You are welcome, America. Now say "thank you."

By the way, I'm dismantling my murder hornet task force now that we have swarms over every major city and town in America. Great job, everyone! Bye now.

It's come to this - toilet paper care packages

In the "did not see that one coming" department - I found myself in the surreal position this morning of Priority Mailing four rolls of toilet paper to a desperate and dear friend in Austin.
Some people are hoarding massive amounts of "butt wipes" as they panic over the Corona virus. Not sure what the thinking is on that one. I'd be more concerned about ensuring I have enough consumables for the other end of my digestive system first but whatever. We all have different priorities.
Meanwhile the rest of us are tsk-tsking the TP hoarders and feeling all morally superior and witty as heck as we post TP shortage memes on the Internet. So, no shortage of silliness, which is good. We need silliness to get through this crisis. Like roll around laughing silliness. Get it, roll, toilet paper?
So, anyway, I had the following conversation with a good-humored postal clerk this morning.
Me: (in stage whisper while handing over package.) It's toilet paper. A friend in Austin cannot find any for love or money. It's come to this!
Him: (chuckling, then clearing his throat dramatically and assuming a loud, mock serious tone) I see, ma'am, you are sending off very important documents today.
Me: (matching his tone and nodding sagely) Yes, yes sir, I am indeed mailing crucially important documents today.)
Him: This comes with $50 insurance, do you need more?
(brief back and forth convo on retail vs. street/black market value of my shipment ensues in which I learn with some disappointment that I can only ensure for the retail rather than street value so no, I do not need extra insurance.) Sigh.
Him: And you are of course sending this overnight express certified?
Me: (looking at the regular and priority mail prices which are both - gulp - $8.70) Er... Can this go media mail?
Him: Is anything written on it?
Me: (reluctantly) no.
Other postal clerk chimes in: Write "only use three squares" on it!
Third clerk: But they often open media mail packages and if it's not media mail, they send it back.
My clerk: That would be very bad for your friend awaiting these important documents.
Me: OK. Priority.
My clerk: Cash back? In a pinch, that be used as TP and cheaper than what you are spending to send this package.
Me: Sold!
(Am handed $10 bill plus a receipt. I pointedly test receipt for softness as further potential TP substitute. Kinda Sears catelogish but that was good enough for our grand parents so I make a "that'll do" face.) Beats the corn cob or three shells options.
End scene...
But back to the hoarders and their reasoning. Perhaps they are actually the cleverest/shrewdest of us. Mayhaps TP rolls will become alternative currency in future weeks/months, like cigarettes in prison.
Stay silly. Stay safe. Don't hoard.

Elizabeth Warren - the lady persisteth

So now it's a horse race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, according to pundits and pollsters. This is the emerging story line after Biden's big showing in South Carolina followed closely by the"bending the knee" ritual from former candidates Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and Beto O'Rourke.
Why are some folks trying to erase Elizabeth Warren from the Democratic field? Why is it suddenly an "old guy vs. old guy" scenario? Both Biden and Sanders have their share of baggage and flaws, including advanced age. Neither of them looks like the best Democratic candidate still standing, IMHO.
I cast my early vote for Elizabeth Warren and stand by it. I hope she racks up a serious delegate count on this Super Tuesday and that she persists beyond today rather then pledge fielty to Crown Prince Joe.
I understand the desire to get closure quickly on this bruising nomination process, to end the jousting already. However, it seems too many of the Powers That Be in the Democratic Party are running right over Warren into the seemingly safe arms of "Uncle Joe" to protect the Establishment from the horrors of that radical Bernie Sanders.
"Safe" isn't going to rally the electoral troops.
"Safe" isn't going to beat Trump in November.
Warren has a plan. She has persisted. This is not the time for her to fall on her sword. She can and should be the last one standing in this messy process. Warren has her own path, well researched and thought out. It happens to lie somewhere between the "safe" choice of Biden and the "go for broke" option of Sanders. The Via Media (middle way).
Yes, there is the whole "candidate with lady parts and are we ready for that" thing.
We are. We totally are. We are ready for smart, compassionate female leadership in the White House. And we need it badly.
So what to do with Joe and Bernie? I doubt Joe wants another VP term. Been there. Done that. Lost the T-shirt. Picked up a Medal of Freedom. Maybe a cabinet post related to his strongest issue?
How about Vice President Bernie Sanders? A sweet lemon offering, perhaps? Give him a wide portfolio. Real wide. Think Jared Kushner but with scruples and charisma. Let Sanders push for his progressive agenda and nudge Warren a bit left while she holds him from going over-the-edge left.
And where is Mike Bloomberg in all this? Hopefully handing his sword and support to Lady Warren. Somehow that leads me to the idyllic image of would-be Emperor Trump being forced to hand the keys to the kingdom over to Elizabeth Warren. Sounds like a Happily Ever After to me.

Trump acquitted, now what? Slog and sing

Did everybody get their primal screams in last night? Walls kicked? Beer cried in? Good.
We had to know that trump's acquittal was coming, especially after the Republicans chose to disallow witnesses in the impeachment trial. After that bit of news, all this dog-loving teetotaler wanted was a stiff drink and an endless loop of cute kitten videos. So now what do we do?
Many of us are despairing, too exhausted for outrage. Mueller, impeachment, and trump still stands. The federal government's apparatus has thus far failed to end this train wreck of a presidency. Guess that leaves us, with our throats raw from primal screaming, foot sore from wall-kicking, and a helluva hangover from all that beer we cried in. There is no cavalry thundering to democracy's rescue. We are the cavalry and we are tired. We are demoralized.
We have to keep going, folks. It won't be easy. In fact, trump likely feels more enabled, empowered, and indestructible than ever. Rather than swing wildly at the king, I suggest we pick our policy battles carefully. Trump has been known to back down on his worst actions, at least temporarily, when the public screams loudly enough. So we scream for justice. And we march. And we shame.
We ignore the noise as best we can, and trump is great at noise.
We get wonky (or wonkier) about environmental protection, immigration, voter suppression, election security, racial injustice, gun reform, women's reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, etc., etc., etc. Pick an issue or issues. Engage elected representatives at every level. Pester the daylights out of them. Educate people around you. Actively support candidates for office who share your values.
I naively thought when trump took office that this administration could not possibly last for more than a few months. Something would happen. Something would end this nightmare. That something evades and disappoints us. We are the cavalry. We are the something.
Trump and his ilk are here for the foreseeable future. It is up to all of us to mitigate the damage as best we can while working positively for a better future beyond the foreseeable.
It will be a slog. Self-care will continue to be key. Do little things where you can see a result. Form connections with people deemed "other" in these divisive times. Engage with grace, with humor, with truth. Stay engaged but also know when to disengage.
Hold fast to friends. Check on each other. Breathe. Walk around your neighborhood, greeting every person and pet you encounter. Listen to and sing along with favorite songs from your youth. Color.
Slog and sing.
And for heaven's sake keep the kitten videos coming.

We need nerds in this public health emergency

America needs nerds to help us and the world battle the coronavirus. Unfortunately that requires a nerdy, public service infrastructure, which Donald Trump and Co. have intentionally dismantled. Whether it is climate change or public health, this administration continues to install industry lobbyists to key posts rather than qualified and dedicated public servants. Meanwhile, the world burns and deadly diseases spread.
Our nation should be a leader in global emergencies like this, marching out an army of folks in lab coats with pocket protectors and experience facing down deadly pathogens around the world, from Ebola to SARS. But this is Trump's America where the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention face funding cuts. In Trump's America, science is suspect, lobbyists rule, and qualified epidemiologists are an endangered species. The administration has also diverted public health funds to his border wall, yes the wall which could not stand up to a gust of wind.
This sobering article from The Guardian describes why America simply is not prepared to effectively combat the corona crisis due to funding and staff cuts. Safeguards established after the Ebola scare have been dismantled. For example, we used to have a "global health czar" to coordinate between agencies and other nations in a pandemic such as we are now facing. Former national security adviser John Bolton decided to ax that position as unneeded for national security.
So who is leading the charge, such as it is? One is Dr. Robert Redfield. Yes, at least he is a doctor. However, this virologist is best known for his "abstinence only" approach to the AIDS epidemic. He replaced Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald in 2018. She lost her post after her investment in tobacco stock. The administration's public face for the coronavirus crisis is Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. His greatest hits include dramatically raising insulin prices while heading pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly U.S. branch. He also took considerable heat last year for his agency's treatment of immigrant children separated from their parents. Not exactly reassuring.
The coronavirus is already in this country, in multiple cities. The disease is spreading rapidly in China, with a ten-fold increase in confirmed cases in just one week.
Another danger - racism against people of Chinese descent. This is already happening. Given Trump's xenophobia and undisguised racial hatred, we cannot count on the administration to combat this contagion any more than the actual coronavirus. Already, most non-citizens traveling from China will be barred entry to the United States as of yesterday (Jan. 31.) Xenophobia against anyone who even looks Chinese has already been documented in Canada and the United States, specifically Toronto and San Francisco.
Call your members of Congress. Insist our federal government bring back the nerds and public health funding. Demand an end to lobbyists and unqualified people in agencies like the CDC and NIH. We need a robust public health infrastructure more than ever and a repudiation of xenophobic hysteria.

Remove jurors who violate their oath

An open letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

Dear Justice Roberts,
I hope you would agree that juror misconduct is a serious issue which challenges the integrity of our judicial system. When jurors, for example, violate their oath to give impartial justice, such jurors *must* be removed from court proceedings. Is this not the legal standard?
At least two jurors in the Trump impeachment trial over which you are presiding have frequently and flagrantly violated their oath by posting pro-Trump, pro-acquittal messages and videos on their social media pages throughout the trial. These are my state's senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. I have heard and/or seen evidence of other GOP senators violating the standards you set forth, such as no cellphones and no reading material, however I am going to focus on Cruz' and Cornyn's misconduct. I follow both senators on social media and have been appalled at how both have been dismissive of the prosecution while fawning over the defense.
Numerous constituents, including myself, informed Cruz and Cornyn, in comments attached to such posts, that they were violating their oath as impartial jurors and needed to stop. They persist.
Justice Roberts, our democracy is on the line. We must have jurors who understand and follow their duty to be independent and impartial jurors. We need jurors who respect you and the impeachment proceedings much more than Cruz and Cornyn have shown.
We also, frankly, need a chief justice who will hold senators to account for their behavior. Cruz, Cornyn, and any other senators who refuse to abide by their oaths should be removed from the jury.
Thank you for your attention.

Don't overlook Puerto Rico earthquakes

Rachel Maddow made (as usual) an excellent point at the beginning of her show tonight about how we must hone our skill to follow and respond to multiple stories simultaneously. She was speaking of the upcoming impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump and the military crisis between us and Iran, intentionally started by one Donald J. Trump. Yet another story unfolded throughout the day which also deserves our attention. Puerto Rico is suffering a series of earthquakes and is still not over the devastation of 2017's Hurricane Maria. The island also has a huge bond debt which makes paying for emergency needs and repairs even more difficult.

I fear the earthquakes will get little attention and that Puerto Ricans will not get the help they need for two reasons besides the national trumpian distractions above. One, the natural disaster getting most of the world's attention right now is the wildfires in Australia. These are catastrophic and heart-breaking. We have all seen the images of burned koalas and terrified joeys (baby kangaroos.) Celebrities and regular people are pitching in money, meals, and even mittens to help the Australian people and wonderfully diverse wildlife. As they should. Yet that leaves little room in public spotlight for Puerto Rico's unfolding series of natural disasters. After all, it is hard to compete with koalas as an Instagram-able icon. Still, this image from Punta Ventana (Window Point) shows the destruction of a Puerto Rican landmark.

The second reason I fear Puerto Rico won't get needed aid is the Trump administration's deplorable record in this area. Remember when he threw paper towels in a post-hurricane visit to San Juan and then could not stop (still can't) insulting San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto? Or the spa day federal medical personnel gave themselves while thousands of Puerto Ricans were hurt, sick, and dying after the hurricane? Good times. One reason the island is still struggling to recover after Maria is the Department of Housing and Urban Development intentionally left Puerto Rico out of funds dispersal that Congress mandated. Also the difference between how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deals with mainland natural disasters vs. its Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico response is infuriating, as this study analysis shows.

FEMA's initial response to this week's earthquakes sadly does not show much hope for improvement this time around. Puerto Rico's Gov. Wanda Vazquez declared a state of emergency for her island and requested FEMA also declare one, as this would open opportunities for federal funding. FEMA is "considering" the request. Considering?! The emergency is ongoing. In mainland natural disasters, such declarations are virtually automatic. Sometimes an emergency is declared even before the disaster strikes, as when a hurricane looms offshore.

Puerto Rico is an American territory. They are us. The island struggles with debt, compounded natural disasters, and a president who acts cruelly to their needs and their leaders. They deserve better than to be overlooked in a time of duelling crises. Want to help? Charity Navigator presents this list of trustworthy groups working toward disaster recovery in Puerto Rico.
Update Jan. 9, 2020 from CNN. Federal disaster declaration has been granted.

Stop accepting gun culture ubiquity

Gun culture is everywhere. That needs to change if we want mass shootings to end in this country. If we want our children to live through their school years. If we want to go to places of worship without being shot at or attend a music festival and come home alive. If we want to drive on our nation's highways without bullets through our car windows. Or a holiday football watch party at a friend's house. If we want to go to the store or the movies.
Speaking of movies, I went to see "Little Women" the other day. In addition to the usual local ads for tire change places and day spas, was an ad for a gun shop. They were not promoting handguns and hunting rifles. They filled the screen with assault weapons and silencers. Seriously.
Then there are the gun shows, one held just a few weeks ago in my fairly small town. I know because of the billboard advertising it literally cast a shadow over the high school where I often substitute teach. Far too many schools - Sandy Hook, Parkland, Santa Fe, Savanah State, Columbine, Virginia Tech,  Jonesboro, just to name a few, have had deadly shootings on their campuses. Savanah State has had two. Security Baron's website includes this chart on school shootings from 1999 to 2019. What startles me most is how many of these I had forgotten or was learning about for the first time. And I thought I kept up with these things.
So what do we do?
Contacting elected representatives may seem like a lost cause as so many of them are beholden to the National Rifle Association. It is important, though, to continually remind Electeds that their duty is to their living constituents, not the death industry.
We can also make feelings known to businesses and organizations on either side of the gun issue.
Here is the text from an e-mail I just sent the owners of my local theater:

"Hello,
I was disturbed by an on-screen ad for a local gun shop's assault weapons and silencers before a recent "Little Women" showing at your Bastrop location. This is normalizing the death/gun culture and has no place in a family entertainment center. Usually your theaters have ads for innocuous local businesses like gift shops, car repair places, or a day spa. Focus on these, please. Promoting weapons of use only to mass murderers is harmful to my community and the culture at large. It is a (pardon the phrase) "trigger" to survivors of gun violence. It makes purchasing such weapons seem as banal and harmless as changing one's tires or getting a mani/pedi. It can also implant or encourage a mass murder fantasy in especially disturbed/angry members of your audience.
I like going to the movies. I do so for escape from the darkness around us all, such as mass shootings.
Please be mindful of who you sell ads to and what they promote.
Sincerely....."

We can also support and encourage businesses who stand up to the gun lobby, such as Dick's Sporting Goods, whose owner decided after the Parkland shooting to stop selling guns. His business is thriving.
We do not have to just accept gun culture and the death it brings daily. We can and must call it out, fight against it, and stand with those who reject and renounce it.