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.