Dear Readers and Friends,
I have been incommunicado, not because I am sick in body but because I sick at heart. And I am scared, scared out of my wits.
This is what the virus discrepancy looks like: The wealthy post images of the yachts and mountain homes in which their charmed lives exist in momentary seclusion; the poor can’t afford the internet connection that would permit their children to stick with schoolwork at home. This negligence toward the vulnerable among us has become so common, we hardly even take note any more--and yet, the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections and death among African-Americans are obscene. Entrenched inequities have long plagued communities of color; lack of health-care access and economic opportunity plus decades of discriminatory policies are just some of the factors playing into COVID-19 disparities.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is shocked by another kind of criminal negligence: the sharp rise in domestic violence amid global coronavirus lockdowns. Governments around the world must address the issue to lessen the effects of the pandemic, he urged.
“For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest — in their own homes,” he said. “We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the past weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence.”
Where are the emergency teams that tackle aggression and fear? Houses of worship have adapted to the need for virtual services. Where are the country’s social services, more needful than ever in this time of growing inequality?
“I was on a book tour in California when the lockdown happened. Luckily I got to return to my home state,” emailed a writer friend. “Two weeks later my wife fell ill with a flu-like illness that lasted a month.” He wonders whether he brought the infection with him, though he remains asymptomatic. “No way to find out,” he writes. “Here in Texas, testing costs $150 per person.”
Experts warn that coronavirus deaths will continue to rise by the thousands in the United States, reports The Hill out of Washington D.C. Reopening their economies, as some states are now doing, entails huge risks from individuals complacent about the dangers that lie in wait. Further complicating factors: no precise guidelines have come from the federal government. The White House has suggested that states wanting to reopen their economies should first show a downward trajectory in infections and should have sufficient test kits, hospital equipment, and staff in place in the event of an upsurge, yet the president says he does not take responsibility if things derail; all decisions are left to state governors. Worse, a CDC guidance document, which the country’s top public-health experts worked at top speed to have ready for governors and mayors (and the public at large) was squashed by political appointees, supposedly because it is deemed “too specific.” A statement that the advisory report “will never see the light of day” makes the news instead of the guidelines. The Associated Press obtained a copy from someone not authorized to dispense it before the White House objections arrived. It has published excerpts that are unlikely to be taken into consideration by people who deem it their First-Amendment right to oppose guidelines. They refuse to wear protective masks—but then, so does the U.S. President, even as members of his and the vice-president’s staff turn up sickened and infected.
Predictions are, the toll may be a high as three thousand deaths per day when businesses start to open before needed test kits and methods of contact-tracing are in place. Three thousand deaths per day! How do with live with this monster of a prospect?
On May 11, 2020, at 3:56 PM, Edith Cook <e104...@gmail.com> wrote:
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On May 12, 2020, at 7:15 AM, 'Lynn Pahl' via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Edith, I could not agree with more what is happening to our country under the current “leadership “ is totally disgusting. Even here in Cheyenne the people are not taking any thing seriously. I have had to go out a couple of times and found that I’m the only one wearing a mask, the business are in mask but the shoppers are not. Some of the people were laughing at me, Terri will not leave the house with how crazy these people are acting. We are living in a very sad time.
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“Those who shun prophylaxis are sooner to blame when afflicted.”
Warren Wendover: “Plague and Other Pastimes.”
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Name calling isn’t necessary. Some folks simply do not understand. They have to “live it” to understand. Wyoming is mostly White, Wyoming has had few covid cases, so far, and Wyoming has no large meat processing plants that I know of.
These folks feel their rights are infringed upon due to necessary precautions needed to prevent the spread of a severe illness. However, they do not understand that by not taking precautions themselves, they infringe on others’ rights to remain healthy. (Note – 1918 pandemic)
I like your ask the 80,000 dead comment. But if the dead are not buried in their backyard, I doubt they believe the numbers.
They simply do not understand. And that is scarey.
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
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I agree with Nancy. Ignoring the virus is like ignoring tornado warnings when all you can see in one direction is a sunny sky—you do so at your own risk. Except ignoring the virus also puts other people at risk.
Barb
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On May 16, 2020, at 7:50 AM, Jack <lobo...@centurylink.net> wrote:
You realize, Edith, that your less than intelligent readers who deny the coronavirus seem perfectly willing to put an old man with a history of strokes and heart trouble—me, and the many like me--at risk of their lives. Perhaps your admonishments are misdirected.
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Hyperventilating—particularly in the presence of viruses adds new peril.
Anthem for the anti-social, from Newley/Bricusse (Stop the World--1962):
Mumbo Jumbo, rhubarb rhubarb
Up your flubarb, Liberty Hall.
And, dear friends, if I'm elected,
I'm all right, Jack--screw you all!
Let’s move on.
😊
From: edith...@googlegroups.com <edith...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Jack
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2020 7:50 AM
To: edith...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [edith-cook] Sick at heart
You realize, Edith, that your less than intelligent readers who deny the coronavirus seem perfectly willing to put an old man with a history of strokes and heart trouble—me, and the many like me--at risk of their lives. Perhaps your admonishments are misdirected.
A dangerous behavior is a dangerous behavior, and no amount of courtesy or coddling can change that. Their insincere tears at our funerals would be small consolation. These people need to be taken by the scruff of the neck and have some sense shaken into them. Perhaps the 80,000 plus who have died from this disease deserve a better memorial than that provided by these deniers. Ditto the nut cases on the capitol steps with their guns and flags and silly preening.
For the record, I never got paid for the columns I wrote, five years’ worth, except for three of them. I gave the money to the immigrant families from Mexico. They bought groceries with it. I quit the column when I could no longer type correctly, and frankly, because I got tired of it. I’m typing this screed with one finger, for example. I’m not sure why you make a comment like “has reason to be bitter”; bitter has nothing to do with it. Anger at the virus deniers does. And if you’re not angry at these people then you aren’t listening to them. I will be glad to provide an explanation for those of your readers who do not understand the difference between “bitter” and “angry”. Your task as the wordsmith here is to use them correctly.
Here’s a deal: drop me off your mailing list. I’m not sure how I got on it, frankly, but I don’t need to be. Reading this exchange is the first one I’ve read in some time. So make us both happy.
On May 16, 2020, at 6:54 AM, Edith Cook <e104...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Friends and Readers,
Just to remind everyone: When you respond to my readers' group, your email goes to everyone, so no name-calling, please! If you need to vent, email me at e104...@gmail.com. I value all responses, whether they are critical or not, for I'm personally familiar with every writer, including people who email from other states.
One respondent, Jack Pugh, was a fellow columnist at Wyoming Tribune Eagle before it was absorbed by larger entity, let go its editor-in-chief, and quit paying local columnists. He is a former WY state legislator and has reason to be bitter--but, please, Jack, write to my personal email with grievances.
Note to out-of-state readers: CFD is Cheyenne Frontier Days, which is the last full week in July plus the weekend before and has evolved into hugely popular entertainment. We do not know whether it will be canceled--Greely Stampede announced some time ago that it's canceled. Many people hope that summer will bring relief from the virus spread, but experts warn not to count on it. Stay vigilant! Wear facemasks, refrain from touching your face, and wash hands often.
Patrick, my sympathies to your brother-in-law in his fight for survival. And thank you for sharing about the work of your ICU-Nurse wife, who, I'm sure, is in the thick of it--and very much at risk of exposure.
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On May 18, 2020, at 9:01 AM, jupearl via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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On May 18, 2020, at 9:01 AM, jupearl via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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