You’re probably aware by now that our beaches have been closed for the July 4th holiday due to increased Covid-19 infections. In sum, we are living through a once in a century pandemic without a national strategy and historic racial tension made worse with our “Wizard in Chief” re-tweeting white power videos.
And now there are revelations that Vladimir Putin paid Taliban fighters $100,000 bounties for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan and this administration does nothing. (Perhaps M.A.G.A. really stands for “Morons Are Governing America.”)
Just compare life last July 4th to this one. For 7/4/2019, like a 3rd world dictator, Donald Trump desperately wanted tanks to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue. Thankfully, the idea was rejected because the street wasn’t designed for such excessive weight (The tanks, not Trump, although...)
So Trump came up with a Plan B extravaganza. It featured tanks but at least in place, along with a military flyover, and Trump’s mistake-riddled 45-minute speech to a rained on crowd at the Lincoln Memorial. The entire fiasco cost the American taxpayers $13 million.
In his speech, Trump heaped praise on the Revolutionary Army of 1776. “Our army manned the air and rammed the ramparts. And our army took over the airports, did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.” (Airports? A plane wouldn’t be invented for another 125 years!).
As for “at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare,” that describes the Battle of Baltimore. That was the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War. (Forgive me, but sometimes Trump’s colossal ignorance is just staggering.)
This July 4th, Trump is hosting 300,000 on the National Mall for a fireworks spectacular with no social distancing and no masks required, setting the stage for a Covid super-spreader event. By the way, after Trump’s underwhelming Tulsa rally, of the 513 people tested many were positive. Yikes!
And yet perhaps more alarming is Trump’s complete silence about Putin putting bounties on American soldiers. The story broke on Friday but “see no evil” Trump played golf on Saturday and Sunday. (Borrowing from Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman, “What, me worry?”)
That Trump often doesn’t read Presidential Daily Briefing is a dereliction of duty. The president takes an oath to protect the country not put it in danger. While it’s common knowledge that Trump doesn’t read much of anything, not according to “Press Barbie,” Kayleigh McEnany, who said emphatically, “The president does read!” (How’s that for a bumper sticker? “Trump 2020 – He Can Read.”)
McEnany elaborated further, though she sounded like a Trekkie, “The president is the most informed person on planet earth.” What’s next, “Beam me up, Scotty?”
Meanwhile, she blames everyone for “Bounty-Gate” including anti-Trump intelligence officials and the media but not Moscow or Trump’s puppet master, Putin. (Whose butt Trump wants to kiss with reinstatement in the G-7, making it the G-8 again.)
The Covid-19 spikes Trump said would be “embers” are more like forest fires. Then again, remember when Trump said, “Not only will the cases be down to zero but the virus will soon magically disappear.” In retrospect, that he even used the word “magical” is still so disturbing.
Sadly, on Wednesday we broke the world record of 50,000 cases in one day. Dr. Fauci says we may soon experience 100,000 daily. (3 million a month!)
Many epidemiologists predict that eventually 150 million Americans will have been infected and 200,000 will die from Covid-19. Is it any wonder for many feel like the world has gone mad?
For example, here in Santa Monica there’s an alarming situation that has been going on for months as documented at www.NextDoor.com. Like gunshots, extremely loud fireworks have been going off late at night and into the wee morning hours, frightening children, dogs and even a rabbit, an animal that can literally be scared to death. This inexplicable madness has left in its wake many sleep deprived adults.
And it’s happening in other cities as you can view on Twitter by typing “#fireworks.” It’s unclear who exactly is behind it all but hopefully they’ll stop on July 5th. Otherwise, like the recent shortage of toilet paper, there may be a shortage of earplugs.
And that brings me to a panic-inducing event that happened to me at CVS on Main Street a few days ago. Asking permission first, I parked my bike in the corner while I shopped and was vaguely aware of a woman arguing with an employee.
As the dispute escalated, I turned to see her seemingly lose her mind. She proceeded to use my bike to ram shelves sending items flying and damaging my poor bike. (On November 3rd, Donald Trump will have a hell of a lot to answer for but not this. Although...)
For more, go to YouTube and type “Lincoln Project Ads.”Jack is at: jackdailypress@aol.com
