Day 14

This morning brought with it a fresh realization about Trump Republicans. They're not just petulant assholes, they're dangerous. And they don't mind taking the rest of us down with them.

Saturday News: Stay at home

GOVERNOR COOPER TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS DURING PANDEMIC: Gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited, although that limit doesn't apply to shopping centers, medical facilities and airports. Up to 50 people are allowed at funerals. People can go out to buy groceries, pick up prescriptions, visit a health care provider, exercise, care for family members, volunteer to serve the needy or visit a place of worship. "Essential" businesses that can continue to operate include health care providers, supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, law enforcement, utilities, maintenance workers, human services organizations, farms and other food and beverage producers, banks and insurers, shipping, transportation, hotels, mortuaries and professional services, such as lawyers and accountants. Restaurants can continue to provide drive-thru, takeout and delivery services. Pet supply stores, electronics stores, lawn and garden shops, liquor stores and bookstores that sell education materials also can remain open.
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/nc-governor-issues-statewide-stay-at-home-order/19032199/

Day 13

We're in the midst of a Lie Pandemic that is hitting Trump Republicans hard. Growing exponentially and mutating, it'll bring certain death to many of Trump's most loyal supporters. It seems they're ready to die for him.

Every day Trump makes stuff up, things that could literally end the lives of a million people. The shortage of tests, masks, and ventilators isn't some imagined Democratic hoax, it's a real and fatal failure of leadership at every level. But hey. There's nothing to worry about. God will protect and defend, screw you and your la-tee-dah social distancing.

Quarantine lecture series: Gene Nichol on poverty & policy

Friday News: On the front lines

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AFTER DEATH OF MANAGER, RALEIGH SANITATION WORKERS SEEK BETTER PROTECTIONS: Union representatives sent a letter to city leaders on March 17 asking for more worker protections and for the city to issue a state of emergency. Two days later, Raleigh City Manager Ruffin Hall wrote that the city had since declared a state of emergency and was making strides to protect workers. The union’s suggestions would be included in the city’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. After Grubbs’ death, union leaders sent a second letter to the mayor and city manager. “We believe that if the city had acted swiftly based on the concerns we raised in our March 17 letter, that some of the current safety issues and anxiety from workers could have been avoided,” it said. In a news release, the union said sanitation trucks aren’t being cleaned on a regular basis; workers are violating social distancing by being on one truck; they are only getting two pairs of gloves per week; and there is a lack of “adequate hazard pay.”
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241549076.html

Friday fracking video

Day 12

For a thing that human beings invented, time sure seems to have a life of its own. One day we're rushing to get it all done, the next day the bottom falls out. Urgency dissipates, and things that once seemed critically important aren't even on our lists anymore.

I'm a naturally anxious person for whom time has always been troublesome. For most of life, I've been in an irrational hurry, eager to finish one thing so I can move on to the next. Out on a hike? Get me back so I can sweep the porch. Reading a book? Wrap it up so I can start the next one. Out to dinner? No dessert, it takes too long.

As I read what I just wrote, I know it sounds kind of sick. But it's hard to fight. Anxiety for me is hard-wired, beyond any sense of control.

BlueNC