This is nuts by Ruth Neuwald Falcon

How to write about what’s going on now? Could it get any crazier or more dangerous? Don’t answer that.

Momentum builds for bipartisan stimulus package as more GOP senators express support—Seattle Times

Wisconsin’s Top Court Rejects Trump Lawsuit as His Election Push Fades—The New York Times

Mnuchin says pandemic loan to Trump donor’s company ‘not the spirit and the intent’ of program—WaPo

December 3, 2020

This is nuts
by Ruth Neuwald Falcon, Seattle, Washington

A neighbor and I were heading for our mailboxes at the same time. I stood back in an empty parking space fifteen feet away to give him plenty of room. “How’s it going?” I called. “This COVID stuff is getting old,” he replied. This is a man who usually brims with Good Attitude.

I am seeing fewer people wearing masks when I go on my daily walk. I, on the other hand, wore two masks and a face shield when I went to Trader Joe’s today. This evening, Terrie told me she just found out that five people she knows have tested positive for COVID. “Another reminder that It’s not ‘out there’‘” she said sadly.

In the spring and then again in mid-summer, this country was averaging one COVID-related death every minute. Now, it is one every thirty seconds, or two per minute. A week ago, it was one person every forty seconds.

Yesterday, continuing to ignore the pandemic, Trump released an “astonishing” 46-minute video rant about how our election system is “under coordinated assault and siege” and in which he declared that it was “statistically impossible” for him to have lost to Joe Biden. It was so unhinged that many of the news outlets would not even show clips from it.

Newly-pardoned Mike Flynn retweeted a post which calls for Trump to “declare limited Martial Law to temporarily suspend the Constitution” to hold a presidential election re-vote overseen by the military, and “silence the destructive media.” I wonder if that includes blogs?

Pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood was one of the speakers at a “Stop The Steal” rally in Georgia on Wednesday. He claimed to have seen the “real” results of the election. “He won over 410 electoral votes,” Wood said, referring to Trump. “He damn near won every state including California!” Then he led a “Lock him up!” chant. Perhaps it’s some form of Kafkaesque progress that this time the chant was referring to Brian Kemp, Trump supporting Republican governor of Georgia. Wood, along with Sidney Powell, also told Republicans to boycott the January senatorial runoff elections. “Do not be fooled twice,” Wood said. “This is Georgia. We ain’t dumb.”

Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who oversaw the implementation of Georgia’s new voting system, issued the stark warning that if Trump does not rein in his supporters then “someone is going to get hurt.”

“Can’t you write about something else?” another friend asked last night. “Something other than the pandemic and politics? How about a nice story about an animal?”

Anyone?