A Lesson on Controlled Chaos

A Lesson on Controlled Chaos

A Highly Selective Virus

Who knew that protesting had such magical powers to protect human beings from virus transmission? While law-abiding citizens are being hauled off in handcuffs for being at the beach or in the park, shoulder-to-shoulder protesters, mask-free rioters, and grimy-fisted looters roam freely throughout the land with impunity.

It would appear that only solid citizens must be protected from the ravages of COVID-19, and we aren't of much concern to the police or the media at the moment. Law enforcement officers seem thoroughly preoccupied with the marauders' destructive activities. So this might be a favorable time for the rest of us to pack that picnic basket and head out for the day. Just be sure to choose a location far from America's trashed and burning cities. You wouldn't want to bump into any of these COVID-resistant rioters. That would be hazardous to your health, from both a virus and a violence perspective.

If you do plan a day trip, don't forget to bring along the hand sanitizers and masks. Remember, only the protesters enjoy full immunity to COVID-19 and are exempt from its cumbersome rules, restrictive regulations, and dire health consequences. Be safe out there!

"Social Distancing" is so last month...

What Lincoln Said

Little, if anything, can be added to what has already been written and recorded of the willful, widespread violence and destruction taking place within our country. But if we hearken back to the chillingly prescient words of President Abraham Lincoln nearly two centuries ago in his Lyceum Address, we can find a vivid warning against and a simple prescription to heal our current national distress.

The full address is lengthy but so relevant and timely that it is well worth reading in its entirety. Lincoln delivered this speech in response to the murder of an African American man in St. Louis.

Excerpt from Lincoln's Lyceum Address:

"...I know the American People are much attached to their Government;--I know they would suffer much for its sake;--I know they would endure evils long and patiently, before they would ever think of exchanging it for another. Yet, notwithstanding all this, if the laws be continually despised and disregarded, if their rights to be secure in their persons and property, are held by no better tenure than the caprice of a mob, the alienation of their affections from the Government is the natural consequence; and to that, sooner or later, it must come.

Here then, is one point at which danger may be expected.

The question recurs, "how shall we fortify against it?" The answer is simple. Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor;--let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children's liberty. Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap--let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs;--let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.

While ever a state of feeling, such as this, shall universally, or even, very generally prevail throughout the nation, vain will be every effort, and fruitless every attempt, to subvert our national freedom..."

President Abraham Lincoln - The Lyceum Address
January 27, 1838

Memorial Day 2020

"The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem." ~ A. Kilbourn

Logic on Lockdown

I traveled last week, from west to east, to bury my mother. What I experienced during my trip has convinced me that the entire COVID-19 parlor game needs to end. One might say that the idiocy of "staying safe" has been "unmasked."

For all the power-crazed politicians and government officials playing emperor with our lives and livelihoods, I have a couple of questions. Why is it "safe" to shop and stand in line for a half hour at Lowe's with several dozen strangers, but "unsafe" to have a funeral in a church with relatives and friends? How is it "safe" to sit within six inches of a total stranger for several hours on a crowded airplane, but "unsafe" to stand within six feet of your siblings for ten minutes at your parent's graveside?

When we got back in our cars after leaving our mother's grave, we ripped off those masks. When we arrived at my brother's house, we hugged each other. Outside, on the patio, we sat close to each other and talked all afternoon. We visited with each other for several days after Mom's unceremonious burial--nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles all together, no masks and no distancing. No one in my family has been sick. 

My mother lived a full century, and she deserved a better tribute at the end. Mom was always all about her family. She had a multitude of relatives that certainly would have been part of her final earthly events, had they been allowed to be present. The lockdown's ban on funeral gatherings is cruel and stupid--two detrimental elements that often go together. The illogical, arbitrary rules of lockdown prevented our extended family from being together at a time when we needed to be with each other the most. It was a time to celebrate a life well lived, to share happy memories, to lend comfort to each other, and to reinforce the enduring bonds of family. 

Mom was not fond of wakes or funerals, so I can comfort myself with the knowledge that she would have been fine with the way things unfolded. I'm the one who's hurting; I've never felt so cheated in my entire life.

Considering all the ridiculous contradictions in "staying safe" that I saw during my travels, I'm wondering in hindsight. Perhaps I should have inquired about holding Mom's funeral service at either Lowe's or the airport.

The Queen's Speech

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain marked the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day at the end of World War II with a brief, uplifting speech. She is living history, the only head of state in the world who served as active duty military during WWII.

She has been Britain's monarch throughout my life. I've always liked and admired her for her own qualities, among them her stately graciousness, keen insights, unflagging devotion to her country and to her countrymen. At age 94, she is an impressive and inspiring example of our precious Greatest Generation, those who endured through such calamities as the Great Depression and the second World War. Among her many roles, Queen Elizabeth serves as a symbol of triumph over adversity. We could all use such a good example in the many challenges we face today.

Queen Elizabeth II, left, in uniform - May 8, 1945

Nobody's Child

Anyone we love is too young to die. 

~ Unknown

My 100-year-old mother died last night. Her passing certainly was not unexpected. But one lesson my old companion Grief has taught me over the decades is that we are never ready to lose a loved one. We are perhaps especially ill-equipped to lose our mother.

The mother-child relationship is at the very heart and soul of our humanity. A good mother is the woman who loved us, cared for and protected us, many months before we were even born. Her life revolves around us at any age, expanding in time to embrace her grandchildren with equal fervor. When it comes to her children, there is nothing that is too much to ask of a mother. It is from her love, selflessness, devotion, and tireless work that we learn the values to carry forward into our own families.

I was blessed to have a good mother, and all that she taught me by wordless example is one of my most priceless treasures. While we enjoyed each other, we did have our struggles at times; mother-daughter relationships can be complex. But the underlying foundation my mother had built for us was strong enough to withstand occasional storms. We knew we loved each other; that truth always triumphed.

In recent years, my mother has needed full-time care in a nursing facility. She had mentally retreated to long-ago days, to a time in her life when she was most happy. Although she did not seem to know me or my siblings specifically, she easily recognized the familiarity of love when we visited her. Her diminished mental acuity in her final years does not minimize our loss. My siblings and I remember her strength, bravery, and perseverance throughout all of her life’s many trials. Despite dementia’s inroads, we know who our mother was and the vital, cheerful, loving presence she brought to each of our lives. We understand with painful clarity who we have lost.

My life as a daughter is done. With a sense of desolation, I realize that no one ever again will fuss at me to put on a sweater or to finish my vegetables. No one will lie awake at night as she so often did in years past, fretting over some personal problem I was facing, whispering prayers for me into the quiet darkness. No one will ever care for me as my mother did; no one possibly could.

As of last night, however long or short life’s path remaining before me, I am nobody’s child. My mother is dead. Now there is a piercing new meaning to the word “alone.”

Life's a Beach

Newport Beach, CA - 4/26/20

Some of the self-appointed, emperor-style governors in the U.S. are going to start having their royal hands full as the spring weather warms and brightens cities and towns across the country. For example, California's Gov. Gavin Newsom has decreed that citations be issued to surfers and swimmers enjoying the beach.

Good luck with that, Governor. You're about to be confronted with a burgeoning forest of middle fingers. (And don't sunshine and high temperatures kill the virus, anyway? Never mind...)

If the weekend is a sunny 88 degrees in Southern California, the beaches are going to be full. If Newsom can't get his head around that, he shouldn't be governor. Generally speaking, Americans just don't take kindly to being bossed around. More specifically, Californians are not ones to be separated from their swimsuits and surfboards.

Allow me to illustrate my point with a hypothetical comparison. If a totalitarian Communist regime tells beach lovers they are not allowed to swim or surf, immediately they will stay miles away from any beach and either destroy their swimwear or bury it in the basement. If a tightly regulated socialist society tells beach goers to stay home, they will obediently put their beach gear in the closet and docilely wait for the government to make an official announcement that the beach is once again accessible before they venture towards the beach.

In America, when you tell people they can't go to the beach, can you guess the very first thing they're going to do? Oh, yes--in massive droves, they are going to the beach! Even if they hadn't been planning to go there, even if they don't like the beach, they are going to the beach. And they will stay there the entire day, from sunrise to sunset. Law enforcement personnel will run out of paper in their citation pads before they can ticket every person enjoying the beach. I'm not saying it's right; it's just how Americans roll--especially during a SoCal heat wave.

Of course, I understand that the governor's taste of autocratic power over the past month or so has probably been intoxicating. It must be a wildly exciting ride to be dictating the every movement (or lack of same) of all state citizens. But if the heat stays up, be prepared for a continuing beach-goer rebellion. Hang ten, Governor.

Earth Day, Again

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Although the constant lamentations and dire warnings about the destruction of the planet have increased exponentially over the past half century, apparently we've survived. 

For the moment, at least, the overwrought climate change narrative will be taking a backseat to the chaos caused by the CV-19 pandemic. As the old song says, "the beat goes on."

The Past Plague

In an effort to maintain a sense of historical perspective about our current dilemma, I'm reading The Great Influenza by John M. Barry. It's a detailed history of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, and it's terrifying.

While COVID-19 is widespread, serious and deadly enough, it does not approach the ferocity of the "Spanish Flu" pandemic of a century ago. It was wartime, and unsuspecting infected troops were being shipped all over the country and the world, spreading the virus with lightning speed. The graphic descriptions of the sudden onset of violent symptoms, the terrible damage done to the human body within hours, and the quick and tormented deaths of the victims in massive numbers are the stuff of real-life horror.

Equally grisly is the recounting of dead bodies mounting up in streets and homes. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this problem was especially acute. Against the advice of medical experts, a scheduled parade was allowed to proceed. The throngs of unsuspecting marchers and attendees spread the virus throughout the city at an astronomical rate. Patients were dying too quickly, and too many others in the infrastructure of sickness and death--medical staff, first responders, undertakers, gravediggers--were also falling ill and dying fast. There was no one left to process the dead; if there were, they were afraid to go near any place of what was often called "plague".

Pinpointing an exact death toll for the Spanish Flu is impossible, but it's generally estimated that 500 million people--one-third of the world's population at the time--were infected, and 50 million people died worldwide, including 675,000 Americans. These are staggering numbers in any era.

Reading The Great Influenza makes hand-washing seem life saving (it is), stay-at-home quarantines more bearable, and "social distancing" more sensible. I thought it would take me months to read this book, but after ten days I'm more than halfway through it. It's frustrating to see the many avoidable errors made that allowed the virus to spread so far, so fast. Yet it's good to know we've learned so much since the last century's pandemic. As the numbers show, we're lucky to be alive and fighting the flu in our own modern time.