I haven't seen any protest news lately. The comparison map showing the difference from Memorial Day weekend to this week (4th of July weekend) is just saddening...
Green is good, but the green areas are almost all gone. It's been frustrating watching the green disappear day after day, week after week. Florida and Louisiana, as well as other places, are dark red. My theory is that once an area of poverty goes dark red that it's going to be difficult to regain control. People who are economically disadvantaged are in no place to combat the coronavirus.
I think our national leadership should admit that we have lost all control over the virus. Hopefully 4th of July weekend will be tame and more people will stay home. We can make sacrifices during this time, like giving up our traditional holiday celebrations. It just takes people letting go of their denial and their stubbornness, accepting the seriousness of the situation we are in and how our actions end up influencing the status of the entire community.
Today I wanted to applaud Reddit as a website and all of the users who post helpful information through the website. I've been using Reddit for years, ever since some of my students told me about the website. It can be addictive, wanting to always stay up on what's being talked about, but if you can avoid that, Reddit is a wonderful and extremely helpful website.
I use the "old" version of Reddit; there's a newer default version that is more phone/iPad friendly. If you want to stay informed, I highly recommend the website. Today someone posted in the subreddit group CoronaVirus TX, summarizing the pandemic situation (as a response to the question below):
Here's the long text of the top response:
- State had an outbreak of Coronavirus
- Folks in charge tried to lock us down to prevent spread (like they should) but other people apparently felt a certain way about it
- Owner of a hair salon in Dallas who may or may not have been funded by a Super PAC tried to forcibly reopen, had a judge get mad at her, and because of her big public brouhaha, Gov. Abbott decided that maybe we should just fast track reopening
- Meantime, Lt. Gov. was saying how old people should be willing to die for the economy
- Trump was both provoking State Governors and praising Abbott on reopening so fast.
- Restaurants and bars were supposed to be at 25% capacity, but apparently that may have been taken as only a "suggestion", along with Covid prevention procedure (i.e. masks, social distancing, etc.)
- Folks trying to enforce mask policy were verbally and physically threatened, so a lot of folks stopped.
- Masks became viewed as a "political" thing, so a lot of folks stopped wearing them due to their own leanings.
- Folks on TV said Covid was fake. Folks at events said it was a hoax. People listened and basically didn't care anymore.
- Curve didn't flatten
- some folks got 1200 bucks from government, a lot didn't.
- A lot of businesses applied for money from the government to keep them afloat, pay employees, etc, but not many got it
- a lot of folks didn't make rent and were evicted
- a lot of folks who should've got a check didn't because banks or the government took it to pay debts and student loans
- a lot of folks lost jobs - laid off or quit due to health issues/concerns
- we kept reopening
- people had to go to work and a lot were getting sick.
- hospitals were getting packed, but Abbott said we had beds
- a lot of folks dying, and some from "pneumonia-like" symptoms - a lot higher than in recent years
- we still kept reopening
- memorial day weekend - people partying, no masks, no social distancing, crammed in together
- numbers keep going up
- 2 weeks and change later, numbers now 6000 new cases a day
- Abbott - everything fine, lots of beds
- days later, now 8000 new cases a day
- Abbott slowly panicking and saying maybe we should walk reopening back, wear masks (but not for the individual, mandates the business should make them wear it)
- more people sick
- People STILL can't wear masks properly - can't cover nose, can't cover mouth, use as chin or neck warmer.
- Bar Lives Matter protests in Kilgore and other places, bars wanna reopen, salon lady involved - has now a "non-profit" for donations?
- Lt. Gov. disputes claims of Dr. Anthony Fauci, immunologist and basically the most knowledgeable person in the country about the virus. Says he won't listen to Fauci, says Fauci "doesn't know what he's talking about".
- You Are Here <--
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That's it from me today.
Be safe out there (and I'll be safe at home)!
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