You have heard of Nostradamus, the 16th century physician and seer. He studied for about a year before having to discontinue his studies due to the plague. He worked as an apothecary for many years after and developed a "rose pill" to treat a later outbreak of the plague. Later yet, he worked as a physician's assistant, again treating plague victims. Soon after, he moved to the occult.
Flash forward 450 years, and we have a new one. Introducing:
Nostradumbass
He's a seer! “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
Nothing surprises us anymore. But our collective jaws dropped when this happened on Thursday.
Immediately, the manufactures of Lysol and Clorox issued warnings. Please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GODdon't ingest our products!
And on cue, he and his fan club turned themselves in to pretzels to try to defend their demi-god.
"He was promoting a legit endoscopic UV light treatment!" came the voices. Okayyyy....Where are the studies? Cuz even in this more benign light-therapy hypothesis, there ain't no evidence-based treatments using internal light to treat a viral infection. And....ummm.... where do we put the scope, exactly??
"It was taken out of context!" they then screeched. What context? There is context right before our very eyes. WE CAN HEAR HIM AND SEE HIM AS HE IS TALKING. Do you not understand this? There are multiple LIVE cameras on him with real microphones collecting his every sniff!
"Ah, come on! He was just joking!" came the next twist.
OOOOohhh! Hahahah! Great job, supposed leader of the free world! What a great time to joke around! Haha, yeah, people sick and dying everywhere, much fear throughout the land, with plenty of people desperate enough to try anything to prevent or treat this scourge. I sure do appreciate a good, sarcastic prank during global pandemics! Don't we all!?
And then. The memes. Thank the gods for the meme-makers.
It's true among black communities across the country. The District of Columbia, southern states, and midwestern states are suffering the most disproportionate casualties.
Of course, this virus itself is non-discriminatory. It goes where it goes. It will live in a black person's lungs as well as it will live in a white person's lungs.
But that's the virus. It's the rest of us that's the problem.
Why is this happening?
It's possible that there are genetic factors at work. Recent studies have indicated that genetics may play a role in the ability to fight off this virus. But I highly doubt that this is a factor in the disproportionate casualties in the black population, especially when you look at the specific communities in the chart above. In reality, the reasons go quite deep, as the systemic racism in this country is complex, profound, and long-standing.
Systemic racism has kept people of color in the lower socio-economic strata since the beginning of our country. And as socio-economic pressures increase in vulnerable populations, health risks increase. In general, black people are:
Less likely to have heath insurance
More likely to have pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, which increase the risk of complications with COVID-19. These risk factors in themselves are the result of deeper societal and healthcare biases and disparities
Less likely to have access to health care; for example they are unable to take off work when sick or needing to stay home care for others. They are unable to afford medications
More likely to have chronic stress - a risk factor in itself for poor health
More likely to be living in close quarters with poorer sanitation
More likely to be affected by any type of natural disaster, for all the reasons stated above
There is also systemic racism in America's healthcare system. There have been disparities in healthcare for white people vs. black people for our whole history. Black people are simply treated less well, less often, or differently, than white people.
Black people, rightly so, are distrustful of white physicians. There is a long history of not just subtle bias, but unethical, immoral "studies" like the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment that worked to crush black people under the white medical establishment's heel. This should never be forgotten.
People of color are more likely to have lower-paying jobs in the service industry, more likely to be in a higher-risk-of-exposure "essential" job, have a job that precludes working from home, or unemployed.
Social distancing, the best way to prevent the spread of this disease, is a privilege afforded to white people more than black people. Black people are less likely to be able to survive a furlough or telecommute. They are more likely forced to take public transportation to their job. They can't afford to have food and goods delivered. They can't afford to stock up on food or even to go food shopping only once a week.
Many African-American men are afraid of wearing a mask in public. They face the choice between bringing unwanted – and possibly dangerous – attention from law enforcement vs. protecting themselves from the virus. Many choose to forego the mask. I. Hate. This.
I must note that there are similar patterns for Latino and Native American populations. The Navajo Nation, in particular, is experiencing huge casualties in this pandemic. Their rural poverty lends an extra heartbreaking layer to the effect of this pandemic on the Navajos. Washing hands for 20 seconds? They may not even have running water.
What are the solutions for this set of tragic and unjust disparities?
There are no easy answers. The systemic racism is deep. But the first step is: you're soaking in it. Being aware and learning about the problem is the first step. If you're in heath care, it's even more important to be aware and fight back against your own biases.
Think globally, act locally. Work for justice and equal treatment. Advocate for universal healthcare. Fight racism where you are. Get involved. Speak up - educate others. Embody Katherine Johnson's words: "You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you."
Support organizations that fight against racial injustice, like the following. (Note: please vet any charity before giving them money!)
I haven't felt too bloggy lately. The news is anxiety-inducing and overwhelming and I feel better when I'm not digesting media about COVID-19. But, as I stated in my very first post, "the purpose of Little Sister Resister is firstly, to chronicle this moment in American History, from my Little Ol' Eyes."
And this is a moment. Not for America, but for the world. And so, I chronicle.
The official Federal response has been, quite simply, a shit show.
IMPOTUS continues to be a transactional "leader" during the Covfefe-19 crisis, insisting that governors be appreciative before he'll cooperate in sending medical equipment to their states.
Corruption and incompetence laid bare by the appearance of SCROTUS's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also piled on the governors while dangerously inserting himself into the crisis, costing precious time. His judgment is terrifying to say the least. Then he goes on TV proclaiming of the stockpile of medical equipment, "the notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile, it’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use." What the actual fuck is that supposed to mean?
The incompetence goes on and on. It's a deep, deep, dark rabbit hole. But probably the most tragic aspect of the "administration's" failure was simply the waste of time. Agent Orange knew early about the problem but chose to downplay it, letting the monster creep free among us, until now, weeks away from its peak, with 397,754 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12,956 deaths in the United States as of this morning, April 8.
This tragedy is best exemplified in this ad. The ad is powerful, and I love Mika and Joe's treatment:
But we can all rest assured. Though this crisis is upending each and every one of our lives, SCROTUS's briefings are getting very good ratings (even better than The Bachelor!) and he is #1 on Facebook. Sleep well, my friends, with that knowledge.
Church services have continued around the country, with naysayers, blasting from both hips (literally), dying. "And the deniers shall be the first to perish from the earth" (Covid 1:9). Doesn't SCROTUS know he's killing his base?
There is yet more incompetence and recklessness, much more than I could possibly work out here. The history books will have volumes written about this pandemic and the worldwide response, laying bare the rot of 45's incompetence. A black stain on our history.
But you know what? There are leaders who are truly inspiring.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He's been tough, truthful, and at the same time reassuring. Randy Rainbow agrees completely. Andy, we're all thirsty for what you're serving.
Andrew Cuomo: this is what a leader looks like.
Our California governor, Gavin Newsom. He was the first governor to issue a stay-at-home order, which, by the looks of the data, seems to be working to flatten the curve. California is in a good place at this point, such that Newsom is lending ventilators to four states and two territories. I prefer to listen to Newsom's updates vs. anything that comes out of Washington. He is straightforward, well-spoken, and frankly, easy on the eyes. This is what a leader looks like.
Captain Brett Crozier, the commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Capt. Crozier raised alarms about the virus sweeping through his crew. He was relieved of duty, but obviously highly regarded by his sailors. He has since tested positive for coronavirus. He risked his career to bring attention to the plight on his ship. This is what a leader looks like.
The Queen. For the fifth time in her 68-year reign, other than her annual Christmas addresses, she spoke to her nation. Her words were hopeful and reassuring. This is what a leader looks like.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Fauci as been front and center on the "president's" coronavirus task force. He is often at the televised briefings, and somehow has held on to his job while pushing back against misinformation and stupidity. He knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em. But he doesn't have a very good poker face. It was the face palm heard 'round the world.
Fauci is smart, works hard, and speaks the truth. This is what a leader looks like.
Seventeen-year-old Seattle high school senior Avi Schiffmann. You may have used his data to track the virus, as millions have. What you may not realize is that he rejected an $8 million offer to have advertising on his site.
Schiffmann realized he had the skills to help, and created the site for the good of all of us. This is what a leader looks like.
These leaders all have one thing in common. They tell the truth, they tell it plainly, and they are right there with us. We appreciate the truth. We need the truth. The truth can calm us, heal us, prepare us.
And there are thousands more leaders out there in the trenches, men and women who work as paramedics, nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, PTs, OTs, and SLPs, CNAs, hospital housekeepers, grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, drive-through restaurant workers, migrant farm workers, letter carriers, bus drivers, and on and on. They are all working to provide us what we need and keep us well, while literally risking their own lives. They don't get to stay home. So you need to. Be patient. Stay home.
Now, for some additional links:
Here is a pulmonologist from NYC, who gave his personal friends and family this level-headed information. Watch the video here. It's long, but it's full of great information.
"In a pandemic, everyone is a socialist." – Big Sister Resister Pagrs
The world is coming together to get through this crisis. And as people unite, the natural tendency is to share. It's wonderful. Those with more are sharing with those with less. That's socialism, folks!
As more and more states declared that citizens should shelter in place, most of us are stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Everything is closed now, except for essential businesses and services. But here come the helpers!
Facebook groups whose mission is to share and swap spontaneously popped up in communities across the land. Here is our local group: Santa Barbara Quarantine Mutual Aid. Ask around your community for yours.
I was in New Mexico recently, and there was a lot of news about school systems throughout the state continuing to provide grab-and-go meals to school children, despite school being cancelled. A local bagel cafe in my hometown was offering, along with their scrumptious menu of bagel treats, a cache of toilet paper rolls, free to anyone who needed one. “We got you covered!” Thanks Ruby K’s!
Here's a sweet story from Edinburgh. What a lovely way for this store to help its elderly neighbors! They provided care packages to them, complete with "loo rolls" and hand sanitizer! Yessss!
I love when people help people!
Free Performing Arts
Now that we are stuck at home and not able to enjoy the arts in person, a bunch of organizations have made available their performances for free.
The Metropolitan Opera is streaming some of its performances for free. But not for long! Check it out today!
The Paris Opera is also offering many performances for free through the spring.
Broadway HD has a 7-day free trial. You can stream several Broadway shows!
Free Books and Education
Socialism at its best! Public libraries! The New York Public Library is offering free downloads of thousands of books. You will need to download their e-reader app, but after that you can check out three at a time. Check out your own public library, too. They have lots of digital media to borrow.
If the libraries don't have what you're looking for, Audible has made many titles available for free as well! No account needed. Just go to Audible's page here and start listening!
The Great Courses Plus has a month-long free trial of learning modules. You do have to sign up with a credit card, so be careful to cancel once your month is up. I've enjoyed the courses in my car. You can learn something new!
And if you wanna be able to brag that you aced a class at Yale, enroll in this free class, The Science of Well-Being. It's Yale's most popular class in their 317-year history. We need more happiness and well-being. This course teaches you how to be happier! Go ahead! Enroll at Yale!
Free Information
Free access to information about the pandemic is offered from The Washington Post and The New York Times. There are no paywalls for any news related to the current coronavirus crisis. Stay informed!
Free Nature
The Monterey Bay aquarium has nearly a dozen animal webcams that you can enjoy. Enjoy the soothing jellies or the lively sea otters.
Here's a listing of links from CBS News to many other zoo and aquarium webcams.
Free Sports
And if you are missing your weekly dosage of sports ball, sign up for the NFL Game Pass. It's free through May 31. You can watch past NFL games from the last 10 years.
Mourning the loss of Spring Training? PBS is sharing Ken Burns's epic documentary Baseball for free. Go watch it. You have time!
Free All of the Above
Though it's not new, Open Culture is a rich resource for free cultural and educational materials. From language courses to rock concerts (The Grateful Dead is featured on their home page), to free books and movies, to free lectures and courses, there is much to explore. Dig in!
...And Free Money
And guess what? State-sponsored socialism is on the horizon, too! Right here, right now! From the Republican-led government, no less! Plans are being finalized to put about $1000 in the pockets of most Americans in the coming weeks, based on income. That's right! The gov'ment is gonna help us out of this bind with free money. Watch your mailbox!
And with all that being said, my neighbors should know that I can go shopping for you, deliver supplies, or share a virtual drink. Let me know. If I have it, I will share it.
And if you know any other streaming performances or accessible art or culture, post it in the comments!
At the end of the week last week, there came a cascade of concern about the coronavirus (or, as my brother-in-law resister calls it, the cabrónavirus [New Mexicans will get it]).
On Wednesday evening, March 12, IMPOTUS gave a 10-minute "presidential" address which alarmed the world. It was completely chaotic, and minute-by-minute as he spoke, Dow futures reversed course from 300 points up to more than 1000 points down during his brief speech. The Dow lost even more during trading the next day.
It confused and upset us. The lack of leadership was once again borne to light.
And also on Thursday, it seemed that we suddenly and collectively woke up to the very real risks, and "social distancing" became the phrase of the day.
Still without federal guidance, state and local governments took action. More and more states declared a state of emergency (including my home state of New Mexico), school districts began suspending classes, the NBA suspended their season, there were calls to cancel large and small events. And so, one by one, things were cancelled. Companies told their workers to stay home. Conferences were cancelled, other sports organizations suspended or delayed their seasons, concerts and plays were cancelled, movie theaters agreed to allow only 100 viewers per screening. Keep 6 feet between you and anyone else, people!
Finally, on Friday, 45 declared a Federal State of Emergency. It came as a sort of relief to many of us, finally having him take this seriously. The declaration frees up billions of dollars and puts FEMA into action.
And then, apocalypse preparation kicked in to high gear. And people began to panic buy. Store shelves were cleared out. People hoarded toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and water.
Well, you know. You were there. It felt like we were facing Armageddon, didn't it?
But it’s not Armageddon, nor the apocalypse. Nor doomsday. It’s a remarkable, unique time in our planet’s history.
Let's pivot to the positives. This may be the world's first major calamadipitous happening.
Calamidipitous (from the LSR Dictionary): (adj.) unexpectedly positive arising from an extremely troubling situation.
We may not see it now, it's horrible, and we are in a bit of a panic (some more than others). But what good can see in this?
Children and young people have not been affected much, if at all. This is a huge positive! Though schools are closing out of an abundance of caution because children may be little germ vectors, they have not been expressing COVID-19 themselves in near the numbers that adults are experiencing it. I can not think of a better silver lining. Can you imagine the tragedy of losing many of our precious babies? And can you imagine trying to keep them from touching, licking, picking, and rubbing? We are sanitizing what we can in their world, but truly we don't have the worry as we do for our chronically ill and elderly friends. And without them getting sick, there are more hospital beds for those who do.
Research into why kids don’t get it may lead to new medical breakthroughs.
This may be the event the U.S. needs to overhaul its healthcare system. We know that our "healthcare" system is in reality an Insurance Company Profit System. The insurance companies are in the business of denying healthcare. With millions potentially becoming seriously ill, this will be The Great Wake-Up. We'll see how other developed countries with socialized medicine come through this.
And our paid time off system. Millions from coast to coast will be off work or on reduced hours. The hardest hit will be hourly workers, mostly in the service industry. We'll see that many will be devastated by this, and we may come out on the other side with real reform in employment laws.
Perhaps this will goad some to quit smoking and reduce smoking-related illnesses and death.Studies in China suggest that men there are afflicted more than women and it’s been theorized that this may be because they smoke more. As more studies are conducted, this may be a huge health finding and may be a huge impetus to stop smoking. (By the way, please if you smoke, try once more to quit today!)
Hotels, cruise ships, and other public places will forever be cleaner places. 'Nuff said.
We know what the enemy is, and we have an inkling of how to battle it. Ok, this may be a stretch as a positive. But thanks to science we know what this is and we're learning more each day. That’s a lot more than many of our other medical and human enemies. A vaccine, though off in the seems-like-forever-from-now future, is on the horizon.
With social isolation, there will be fewer accidents leading to death and major injury. Fewer cars on the road means fewer accidents, period. Fewer people at work, fewer work-related injuries. With social isolation, there will be fewer deaths from influenza, the other deadly respiratory disease. The other horribly fatal respiratory disease is the flu. By practicing our best hygiene practices and staying away from each other, the end of this year's flu season will go out like a whimper.
There may be positive environmental impacts, as less fossil fuel is burned while we all stay home and nest. Fewer travelers means fewer emissions. It'll be fascinating to see what the studies show during this period. We'll have a treasure trove of data. It's already been evident in China as manufacturing shut down during the early days of the crisis. See the striking satellite images in this article from The Guardian.
There will be fewer mass shootings and terrorist attacks during the period of collective social distancing. Think on that! It's a huge positive. Crime in general will go down. I betcha there will be fewer robberies (unless the bad guy is desperate for some toilet paper), rapes, burglaries, and murders. There will probably be an uptick in domestic violence, though. Eeeep. Again, we'll have a great big bunch o' data to analyze once this is all over.
People will develop or re-discover new hobbies or creative outlets. I like this one! We'll be stuck at home, so maybe we'll start reading more, or we'll dig up our paint kit from the garage, or we'll start our memoir. Human beings are resilient. We'll find something wonderful to do!
As we keep our distance, somehow we are finding ways to come together. People are joking about the empty shelves at the supermarket. Networks of helpers are popping up to help their neighbors. TP hoarders notwithstanding, the best of us is emerging.
And, happiest of all, it's likely the end of 45's reign of terror. His crown jewel has always been the stock market. It tanked in record amounts as a direct result of his mishandling this crisis. In fact, the biggest one-day drop in the history of the Dow was last week. The winning doesn't stop, does it?
SCROTUS's main mechanism crisis after crisis has been to lie and misconstrue and hope <whatever it is> goes away. And much of the time that has worked, since <whatever it is> was always closely followed by <another shit show>. This time, his tactic of see no evil, hear no evil put Americans directly in harm's way. He can't gaslight a virus. "Those" Americans are finally waking up to the fact that this deeply flawed man is destroying us. As the Peter Wehner in The Atlantic writes, the TЯUMP presidency is over.
Let us hope, as we face November when this horrible event is over, that this is borne out.
And until then, I remain,
Yours very truly in good health,
Little Sister Optimister
By now we've stocked up on toilet paper (so much toilet paper!), hand sanitizer, and canned soup. We've learned which songs to sing while we wash our hands, and we're trying mighty hard to keep our hands away from our faces. We've made sure our Netflix subscription is up to date and we have a stash of girl scout cookies.
We brace for the worst, while we don't really know what the worst will be.
I touched upon 45's response to the COVID-19 global crisis in my post about the virus scare on February 29: COVID-19, A Primer.
In the past few weeks, Sniffles of course was able make a bad situation worse. True to form, his utter ignorance and ineptitude was on full display. In summary, he has been a "walking, talking, tweeting disaster," as CNN's Samantha Vinograd writes. It's hard to enumerate all the missteps from this wart, but let us try.
There has not only been misinformation, there has been disinformation coming from the Whitewash House. Just. Shut. Up.
He doesn't get it, and if he does, it's the usual 🙈🙊🙉.He has perfected the tactic well over the last 3½ years. But likely it's deeper than that. He wants to spin criticism about his handling of the crisis a "Dem Hoax."
There has been increased fear and confusion because of the incomplete, or misleading, information. Here are AP fact-checks of many of his misleading and false statements.
The scariest mouthpoop he has squirted was saying that people can go to work while sick. That's just downright dangerous. If you feel sick, stay home! Let me say it again. If you feel sick, stay home!
But maybe the most frustrating aspect of the government's bumbled response surrounds testing kits. There has been mega confusion. We can not know how the disease is spreading without knowing who has it. Knowing how the disease is spreading can help us stop it from spreading. Science!!
The Orange Scourge has said that "anyone who needs a test gets one," but health officials across the nation report test kits are in woefully short supply. For example, in California, where there has been one death, where travelers from abroad are being quarantined, where thousands are being monitored, where the governor has declared a freaking state of emergency, only 516 people had been tested as of last Thursday.
And he has blamed Obama for the delays in testing. Ummmmm. This virus appeared four months ago. Gah! <LSR bangs head into the ever-growing dent in the wall>
The good news is that the private sector is stepping in, and thanks to the Gates Foundation, home test kits are on their way, at least for residents of Washington, our hardest-hit state so far. Thank you, Bill and Melinda Gates!
He has been characteristically bizarre, such as while he was visiting the CDC a few days ago:
Tell me, if you were going to go in front of cameras broadcasting to the entire world, would you read up a little on the topic so that you didn't look like an abject idiot? I think I would.
And yet......
There have been so many other instances of his downplaying the crisis, it's mind-boggling. Thanks to the Washington Post, who made this compilation.
Huh? A hunch?
He has also, of course, been is shrugging about the risk at his rallies. This, too, is dangerous. He recently spoke at a CPAC rally. Later, a person attending that event tested positive. And guess what? 45 shook hands with someone who had direct contact with that patient.
Two members of Congress had direct contact with that individual, and yesterday both Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) decided to self-quarantine. And as I go to press, Rep Matt Gaetz (R- FL) (along with a couple others) also decided to self-quarantine after exposure at CPAC. Gaetz's announcement came an hour after he was on Air Force One with The Chosen One.
I really don't wish harm to come to any of my fellow earth travelers, but yanno? I'm bringing out the world's tiniest violin for this one. This is the same Matt Gaetz who mocked the impending crisis by wearing a gas mask to the House. The same Matt Gaetz who presides over the congressional district where Florida's first COVID-19 death occurred. The Germophobe-in-Chief and one of the most odious members of Congress? The schadenfreude is strong in this one.
Mike Pence, who supposedly is in charge of the response, hasn't been anywhere. I haven't seen him address the issue with the American people. I wonder if SCROTUS put Mikey in charge so that when the crisis spins out of control – which it inevitably will – he can put the blame on Mike and nominate a new VP.
The government's crisis response been bungled at many levels. And the bungling is costing us time. The alarm was sounded months ago, but the See No Evil mechanism was promptly put into place, causing confusion and distrust. He's simply not telling the truth, and we can't trust what the government is doing, sadly.
We want facts. We need facts. Facts can allay fears and point the direction to solutions. Getting the facts engenders trust. We need to focus on the facts, and we need to demand facts. Science is not a deep state conspiracy.
This essay isn't meant to stoke more fears. It's just lamenting the bad information. Good information is helpful; bad information is downright dangerous.
The long and short of the advice is: prepare your home and your family. Have a little extra food and medications on hand; keep your hands and your belongings clean; don't share your germs! Don't share your personal items or air space if you get sick.
LSR's motto: Prepare; don't share.
Except: Let's share our hoards of TP with friends and neighbors. Stay in touch. If you feel sick and can't get to the store, ask for help. It's easy to leave stuff on each other's porches. Friends, if you need cough medicine, TP, or homemade cookies, call me!
Stay informed and prepare. Besides the CDC, consult reputable medical and media sites. Here is the World Health Organization's information. Here is a great bunch of information, including a set of data and an interactive map, from Johns Hopkins. WaPo is keeping their pulse on the crisis with live updates.
Remember, you aren't just protecting yourself, but more importantly you are protecting the most vulnerable among us, the elderly and the chronically ill. Do your part.
