The Summer Tenant

by Pa Rock
Farmer in Summer

The tax preparer doesn't like for me to refer to my small rural acreage (10 acres) as a "farm" because it isn't fenced and I don't use the land to produce and sell anything.  So it is just a lot of land to keep mowed, and lots and lots of trees to mow around.  The trees are tall and mighty and beautiful.  Well, some are short, like the dogwoods, figs, and paw paws (Ozarks bananas), but more are bigger.  I have one walnut tree that produces well and feeds the squirrels, and a peach tree that feeds the local deer.   There are also several hickory trees and beautiful big oaks that attract squirrels, and a dozen or so pines that all exceed forty feet in height.  The "Roost" is also home to many soft maples, trees which spread quickly if not judiciously kept mowed down during their sapling phase.

When I am not mowing, much of my time is spent walking around the farm acreage and picking up sticks and limbs that have fallen from the trees.  I currently have two enormous brush piles which, like the trees, tend to become homes to various forms of wildlife.  One brush pile is currently hosting what appears to be a small colony of ground hogs.  The other is attracting rabbits.

There is a large oak tree about twenty-five feet outside of the back door that I am beginning to feel may have some mystical qualities.  The old oak is forty or fifty feet tall and the first big limbs are a full twenty feet or so off of the ground.  When I first moved her six years ago I put up several birdhouses and feeders.  I placed a rough, older birdhouse on the trunk of that particular oak, about five feet off of the ground.   One day during a sudden storm it blew down just as I happened to be nearby chasing lawn furniture.  When the birdhouse hit the ground, out climbed a mama flying squirrel and her juvenile offspring, and both winged rodents quickly scurried up the tree and beyond my curious gaze.

Later in the summer, after I had put the birdhouse back up, I noticed that Mother Flying Squirrel and her baby were back in residence - and they stayed in that little house the rest of the summer.

That bird house was worn out to begin with, and by the next season it had completely fallen apart. This spring my son made a few new bird houses, and he put one back in that same spot on the backyard oak.  A couple of weeks ago we were out on the back deck and noticed that some creature was inside of that birdhouse with its head sticking out through the round opening.  At first we thought it was a snake, but Nick got out his binoculars for a closer look and announced that it was a toad.  A toad in a birdhouse!

Yesterday Rosie and and were walking quietly out across the back yard while she looked for the perfect spot to do her business.  Suddenly, without realizing it, I was standing next to the oak tree about a foot from the birdhouse.  I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a small gray or silver frog with black spots on its face hanging out of the entrance.  We stared at each other for a moment or two, and then Rosie and I moved on.  When we came back by a few minutes later he had either left his home or gone back inside.

Today I have spent some time looking up frogs on the internet and have determined that the fellow I met yesterday was either a "Gray Tree Frog," or a "Cope's Gray Tree Frog," both of whom apparently live in this area.  And while this brave creature may be genetically programmed to climb trees, he at least has the good sense to seek comfortable housing when he does.

There are ten acres in my little patch of the Ozarks, and all of God's creatures are welcome.    And if a flying squirrel or a  frog occasionally claims a birdhouse, so be it!

Three Statesmen and a Bigot

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Three former United Sates Presidents - Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton - are set to participate in funeral services for Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis later today at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the church that was once home to Martin Luther King, Jr., and his family.  Noticeably absent from the group will be Donald Trump, the current president, who declined to participate in any of the events over the past few days that honored the life of Congressman Lewis.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who lives near Atlanta, will also not be in attendance.   The 95-year-old who is in frail health reportedly does not attend many events.   President Carter did give Congressman Lewis his first position within the federal government, and he has been a long-time open admirer of the civil rights leader.

Trump offered no excuse for failing to attend any of the events honoring Congressman Lewis.  He did, however, take time out of his schedule yesterday to post the following tweet - which many interpreted as racist and a promotion of housing segregation:

"I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood..."

The Trump administration is dumping fair housing rules that were enacted during the Obama administration and playing on what they perceive as the fears of the suburban communities that having people of color in their neighborhoods will bring down property values.  And while fears such as those caused much dissension and violence in mid-twentieth century America, there is a growing body of evidence showing that the country has moved on - even if Donald Turmp has not.

So to recap, today three United States Presidents will be linking arms and acknowledging our better selves, and one will be focused on dragging us back into the cesspool of racial strife and division.    Two Americas will be on display today, and in November we will know which one prevails.

Rest in peace, Congressman Lewis, and know that your "good trouble" lives on and will be a force for good far into the future.

Gohmert Is Diseased!

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Louie Gohmert, a 66-year-old GOP congressman from the 1st District of Texas, announced this morning that he has tested positive for COVID-19.  Gohmert, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group which generally does not believe in overt pandemic precautions - like wearing face masks - was seen just yesterday traipsing all over the Capitol and in-and-out of the Judiciary Committee's interrogation of Attorney General William Barr without a face mask.  He will presumably mask-up now that he has been identified as an active carrier of the disease.

Not only was Gohmert roaming around the Judiciary Committee meeting without a mask yesterday, he was also seen standing in a Capitol hallway talking with Barr, and neither of them were wearing masks during that exchange.  A few other members of the committee, all Republicans, were chastised by committee chair Jerrald Nadler, a Democrat, for also not wearing masks during the meeting.

Presumably all of those who were flaunting their personal liberty yesterday will be self-isolating today.

So far eight members of Congress have been identified as having COVID-19, and one additional member has been categorized as "presumed" to have had COVID-19.    One senator has also tested positive for the virus.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a 67-year-old Democrat from New York announced last March that a test revealed she had a "presumed" case of COVID-19.  She self-isolated and has since recovered.   Others in the House who have tested positive in addition to Velazquez and Gohmert include:  Joe Cunningham (37), a Democrat from South Carolina, Mario Diaz-Balart (58), a Republican from Florida, Neal Dunn (67), a Republican (and a medical doctor) from Florida, Morgan Griffith (62), a Republican (and, like Gohmert, a member of the Freedom Caucus) from Virginia, Mike Kelly (71), a Republican from Pennsylvania, Ben McAdams (45), a Democrat from Utah, and Tom Rice (62), a Republican from South Carolina.  Rand Paul (57), a Republican from Kentucky, is the lone member of the Senate who has so far tested positive for the virus.

 While it is distressing to realize that this global pandemic has reached into the very heart of American government, it is a comfort to realize that none of these national leaders are burdened with heavy work schedules, and that they all have the peace of mind that comes with a good government health insurance policy.

May their recoveries be speedy and uneventful.

Karen Bares her Teeth - and Walmart Capitulates

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

American troglodytes won a major victory last week when Walmart made a decision not to have its store employees enforce the mandatory face mask policy for customers that it had just enacted.  The store's corporate management decided, wisely, I suspect, that trying to enforce the mask policy would place store employees in harm's way.  Now the policy remains in effect, but angry Jesus-loving, tobacco-spitting patriots can exercise their God-given right to ignore it.

There are many ignorant, self-righteous, pissed-off people in America, and Walmart came to the realization that most of them shop in its stores.

But even though Walmart did roll over for its classless customers, the store still enforces a few rough standards.  For instance, it has banned the couple in Minnesota who wore the swastika face masks into one of its stores.  That was a bridge too far even for Walmart.

(Where do you shop when you are banned from Walmart?)

I learned about the Walmart capitulation on face masks this past Sunday when I stopped at my local convenience store to buy my weekly lottery tickets.  I was wearing my mask, and opened the door to the convenience store with a sanitary wipe, and then got in line six feet behind a rabid Karen.  This wasn't the large, over-stuffed Karen that is so prevalent on social media, this was her skinny, meth-addled cousin who is also named Karen.

Karen, of course, was not wearing a mask, and neither was the convenience store clerk, but he was standing behind a plexiglass shield.  Karen was ranting about Walmart's mask policy and bragging that she would not wear a mask and they could not keep her out.  The clerk replied that they were no longer enforcing the policy - but that he had no problem slipping on a mask for a few minutes to run into the store.

The clerk's easy submission to the Deep State really got Karen cranked up, and she told him that she had been reading about it on Facebook, and that it was "all crap anyway."  Then she turned and glared at. me and marched out.  I smiled behind my mask and thought about how much more presentable Karen would have been if her meth-mouth had been covered with a mask!

Walmart took a bold stand by trying to enact a face mask requirement to begin with, but given the prevalence of knuckle-dragging Trump supporters who roam the Walmart aisles, it was an effort that was doomed from the get-go.   Now not only has the policy gone down in flames, but the legions of Trump-supporting shoppers now feel empowered to make noise and bring down any future store policies that go against their way of thinking.

The shoppers have taken control of their own stores and will do whatever they deem necessary to protect themselves from the Deep State, phony pandemics, corporate tyrants, and godless socialists.

Especially the socialists.

Hanna Huffed, and She Puffed, and She Blew The Wall Down!

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

The length of the border separating the United States and Mexico is 1,954 miles, excluding a couple of extra miles of fortifications that stretch out into the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  The border runs from San Diego, across Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and all of south Texas down to the southernmost point of Brownsville.

Back in 2016 when Donald Trump was entertaining the rubes with tales of the Great Wall that he was going to build when he became President, many envisioned something along the lines of what the Chinese had done a couple of thousand years ago - and stretching from San Diego to Brownsville.  But those plans, like most other things in Trump World, turned out to be an extreme exaggeration.

Trump, in fact, seemed to forget about his wall the first two years that he was in the White House, the two years when he had a Republican House and Senate and could have conceivably gotten some things done.   In fact, he did little more that play golf his first two years in office.  But then as mid-terms approached and people began noticing that very little was getting done in the Trump White House, Trump and his inner-circle suddenly began re-forcusing on the wall.  It became a rush priority.

As of December of 2019, less than one hundred miles of the new structure had been built, and it was strung out over several locations.  And instead of being a massive barrier to immigration or whatever it was that Trump wanted to protect us from, the new wall looked more like a very tall picket fence.  One young lad from Mexico was arrested by US border agents after he quickly scaled the wall and came down on the US side using only a rope.  Then, in late January of 2020, 130 feet of the new wall blew over during high winds at a location along the border in Southern California and landed on a grove of nearby trees.

Recently Trump called his wall "the most powerful and comprehensive border structure in the world."

Now there are multiple news reports this morning stating that a section of Trump's Great Wall blew over last night in south Texas as a result of Tropical Storm Hanna, and the wall is currently lying on the ground in Mexico.  (Some administration sources are apparently denying that it happened and claim that the footage being shown on the media was actually of the incident last January in California.)

Today will ultimately tell the tale of whether Trump's wall really did blow over - again - last night, but regardless of how that story ends, a couple of things are obvious:   Trump and his Great Wall are both wobbly, and neither one garners much respect!

A collapsing wall serving as a metaphor for a collapsing presidency.  That's an image even a Trump supporter can understand!

Portland Lifts the Torch of Liberty High and Proud

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Protesters have been out nightly on the streets of Portland, Oregon, since May 28th.  For sixty days they have been showing up every night in support of Black Lives Matter as they protest the senseless killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police last May.  Actually, the protest began over he killing of Mr. Floyd, but a few weeks into the demonstrations the focus began to change as the Trump administration sent uniformed provocateurs into Portland for the express purpose of challenging the protesters, keeping them stirred up, and posing as some sort of stabilizing force in a world weary of street chaos.

Now the good people of Portland show up each night to protest for Black Lives Matter and against the presence of federal troops in their city.

Donald Trump's Homeland Security troops showed up in early July for the stated purpose of protecting federal property - primarily Portland's federal courthouse and justice center.  Each night they would show up and form a perimeter around the courthouse - and show-off for the press by occasionally lobbing canisters of teargas into the crowds and punctuating the chaos with showers of rubber bullets.

Everyone had a part to play in the drama, and the press rushed around recording it for posterity.

But then the federal troops began overplaying their hand.  Late at night they would patrol further and further from the courthouse.  Soon the uniformed troops, who wore no name tags or unit insignias, were being captured on digital videos taking protesters off of the streets and hauling them away in unmarked vans.  Oregon politicians complained, lawsuits were filed, and both sides dug in for what was becoming an increasingly bitter and hostile confrontation.

Several days ago a group of women wearing yellow shirts and calling themselves the "Wall of Moms" began showing up and forming a line to protect protesters from the uniformed thugs who were trying to steal the street narrative.  A day or two later a second wave, the "Wall of Veterans" showed up to provide cover for the Moms who were increasingly coming under attack by Trump's troops.  Now another local contingent, "the Raging Grannies," have joined in the mix to protect Portland's homegrown protesters.

Local politicians are also on hand to show their anger and frustration at the federal government.  Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was among the locals teargassed one evening earlier this week.

A group of Portland dad's have waded into the street protests with leaf-blowers, handy gadgets that work beautifully for blowing teargas back onto the people who launched it in the first place.

The point is that Portland has a spirit and a resilience that will not be subdued by an invading army.    Trump chose to impose himself on Portland because he saw it as a leftwing city that carried no political risk for him whatsoever.    Portland would never be Trump country, so why not rush in, bust a few heads, grab some headlines, and then, once the place was subdued - as it inevitably would be -  declare victory and go home.  That's roughly the same plan that LBJ had for Vietnam - to begin with.

But Trump has lost Portland much as LBJ lost Vietnam, he just does not realize it yet.  Every night more Portlanders are on the streets, every night they get more creative in their response to the invading army, and every night they come off winning the hearts and minds of the people - both in and around Portland as well as across the United States.  Portland has come to represent a freedom-loving people struggling to throw off an out-of-control and oppressive government force.

America is watching - and America knows who the good guys are!

Stand strong, Portland!  America is with you!

Missouri to Vote on Medicaid Expansion August 4th

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Missouri voters will go to the polls on August 4th for the state's official primary election where we choose candidates who will be on the ballot in the November general election.  The November general election is less than one hundred days away, and, as of this point, neither of the two major parties have even chosen their official candidate for President.  Things are about to go into "rush" mode.

In addition to choosing candidates for the general election, the Missouri primary ballot this year also contains a proposed constitutional amendment that is garnering a lot of interest.  Amendment 2 would expand Medicaid in the state, a move that proponents say would cover "veterans and hardworking Missourians" earning less that $18,000 per year - and help keep rural hospitals and clinics open, as well as protect thousands of health care jobs across the state.   The proponents also argue that because thirty-seven other states and the District of Columbia have already expanded Medicaid, right now Missouri tax dollars are flowing out-of-state to assist citizens in other states to receive medical care - and that passing Medicaid expansion in Missouri would return more than a billion dollars of what was Missouri money to begin with to our state's coffers.

The Missouri Legislature has been firm in its resistance to giving citizens of the state any sort of relief in dealing with medical expenses.  This current proposed amendment has come to the ballot through a citizen's initiative.  It was crafted as a constitutional amendment - and not a bill - in order to restrict our legislature's ability to mess with the intent of the people.  Proponents tried to get it placed on the November general election where they hoped that a bigger turnout would help to get it passed, but Governor Parson was successful in his attempt to get it placed on the primary ballot where the Republican governor hoped that lower turnout would work against the amendment's passage.

But Parson's political maneuvering may not be enough to stop Missourians from passing the amendment.  Oklahoma,  also a very conservative state, passed Medicaid expansion in their state's primary election last month.

Currently, in addition to Missouri, twelve other states still have not passed Medicaid expansion.  Those include:  Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.   Two states in the old Confederacy, Arkansas and Louisiana, have expanded Medicaid, as has Mitch McConnell's Kentucky.

The campaign to expand Medicaid in Missouri has been hard-fought and expensive.  There have been heavy broadcast and print efforts, both pro and con, and this week I have received three separate mailers on the measure - all in support.

The election is Tuesday, August 4th.  Absentee ballots are available through each county clerk's office and applications for absentee ballots can be found on the Missouri Secretary of State's webpage.   Absentee ballots may be submitted by anyone over 65-years-old, at high risk for contracting COVID-19, or confined due to illness - without notarizations, and others may submit a mail-in ballot with notarization.

Missouri voters who rely on rural clinics and hospitals for their medical treatment should take this matter very seriously - and so should voters who have family members who have had trouble getting insurance.  August 4th Missouri will have an opportunity to get more and better medical coverage to more people - and right now, in particular, the health of each of us affects the health of all of us.

Missouri, vote "Yes" on Amendment 2 on August 4th!

A Son has a Birthday

by Pa Rock
Proud Parent

My oldest, Nicholas Karl Macy, was born forty-seven years ago today at Camp Kue Army Hospital in Okinawa, Japan.  Okinawa had been a US possession since the end of World War II in 1945, but on May 15th, 1972, just over fourteen months before Nick's birth, the island was returned to Japanese control by President Nixon.  Nick was born as an American citizen living abroad, and he had to have a passport issued in his name before he could travel to the United States two months later.

Nick is the family outdoorsman.  He likes to fish and hunt, and he often shows up with rocks in his pockets and other natural oddities that he has picked up on his walks along the riverbanks and through the woods.  He always takes an interest in outdoor projects at the farm, and last year when I decided to try and rejuvenate the pond, he quickly took charge of the project.  Today we have a small, permanent pond that is home to bullfrogs and several fish.  The deer show up each evening to enjoy the salt lick and drink leisurely from the pond.

We also have a large crop of thornless blackberries along the garden fence that Nick planted and had nurtured to maturity.

Late this spring when I fell and broke my arm, Nick was quick to pick up my share of the outdoor work.  Now he keeps the very large yard mowed, takes care of the chickens, cats, and dogs, and spends much of his "free" time trimming bushes and trees in the big yard.

Nick has a young adult son, Boone, who lives with his mother in southwest Missouri and is a junior in college, and for the last several months Nick and his old dog, Riley, have lived at my house.  His presence, especially since I broke my arm, has been a godsend.  He does the cleaning and most of the cooking, and for a couple of months Nick even had to be my chauffeur.  I am slowly getting back to my old self, but the recovery would not have gone nearly as smoothly if Nick had not been close-at-hand.

Nick is a good son, and I am fortunate to have him within shouting distance.

Happy birthday, Nick, and may you enjoy many, many more!

Ladies' Day at the Capitol

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

The United States House of Representatives has 435 members, and currently 101 of those members are women.  And while that is less than one-quarter of the total House membership, it is still a record high - and the current Speaker of the House is even a woman.   Having a surge in female membership appears to be having a negative impact on the good old (white) boy network that has run Congress throughout its entire history.

Three female members of the House had clashes with the patriarchy this week, and two of those actually occurred at the Capitol on one of the few days that Congress had chosen to be in session.

The first incident involved outspoken Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California who was driving her SUV in Los Angeles last weekend when she noticed that police had pulled over a black driver.  Congresswoman Waters parked her car along the side of the road and walked over to the police car to observe the encounter.  Police threatened her with a ticket unless she moved her car, but she apparently chose to remain at the scene to monitor the situation with the black driver.

Then on Tuesday when the House was returning to session after it's long weekend off, two female representatives,  one Republican and one Democrat, were verbally assaulted and dressed down by some of their male colleagues.

Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican of Wyoming and the House Republican Conference Chair, was at a meeting with House Republicans when several radical conservatives from the "Tea Party" caucus launched a barrage of criticism at her which basically questioned her loyalty to Trump.  The group, which included several well known wing-nuts like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, and Louis Gohmert, was incensed that Cheney was encouraging parents to take their medical cues from medical professionals like Dr Anthony Fauci over the sage medical advice of Donald "Let 'em drink bleach" Trump.  There were also complaints that Cheney had endorsed a primary challenger who is running against Rep. Massie.

The goal of the group was apparently to force Cheney to resign her leadership position within the party - but she didn't budge.

Meanwhile, outside on the steps of the Capitol, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (AOC), a Democrat from the Bronx, was confronted by an angry Republican congressman from Florida.  Ted Yoho, a three-term representative from the Florida panhandle who is not running for re-election, was angry over remarks that AOC had made on the floor of the House in which she blamed street crime on poverty and economic conditions.  He said that AOC was "out of her freaking mind!"  Representative Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho - whom she said that she had never even spoken to before - that he was rude.  He then reportedly stormed off while muttering loud enough to be heard by a nearby reporter,  "f_cking bitch!"

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, coaxed Yoho into apologizing on the floor of the House yesterday,  Yoho had this to say:

"I rise today to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York.  It is true that we disagree on policies and visions for America, but that does not mean we should be disrespectful.  I will commit to each of you that I will conduct myself from a place of passion and understanding that policy and political disagreement be vigorously debated with the knowledge that we approach the problems facing our nation with the betterment with the country in mind and the people we serve."

Rep. Yoho completed his word salad with this turnip:

"I cannot apologize for my passion for for loving my God, my family, and my country."

For her part, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez noted that Yoho's apology wasn't really an apology and he hadn't even bothered to address her by name in his remarks - and she declined to accept the verbose groveling.

The patriarchy may still control much of the machinery of Congress, but one cannot help feeling that male dominance is on the wane.    The ladies, it would seem, are no longer content to sit quietly and let the men run the show.   Change has been long overdue, and now suddenly it is at hand - and those male members of Congress who have trouble adapting to change might do well to follow in the footsteps of Congressman Yoho and pack it in!

Parson Strives to Become Nation's Worst Governor

by Pa Rock

Missouri Citizen Journalist

In a classic race-to-the-bottom, the United States has some truly awful state governors.  Invariably the worst of the worst all have four things in common:  they are all white, male, and Republican - and they all think that the best sunlight is that which shines out of Donald Trump's flabby butt.  Currently the two who seem to be receiving the most sustained attention from the national press are Ron DeSantis of Florida and Brian Kemp of Georgia.  Others occasionally break in with a headline or two, but DeSantis and Kemp usually manage to hog most of the rightwing glory with their outrageous statements and behaviors.

Florida and Georgia are open for business, just like Trump intended, and anyone who is sick in those states can crawl off and die - just like Trump intended.

But as these Trump boot-lickers like DeSantis and Kemp keep moving forward with the party line, others seem to be backing down.  Yesterday Trump himself admitted the pandemic is getting worse instead of better, and he encouraged people to wear masks when they can't socially distance.  And beyond that apostasy, some Republican governors like Kay Ivey in Alabama and Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas, are now requiring that their citizens wear face masks when they can't socially distance.

The GOP fantasy world, it would seem, is beginning to crumble as a result of the sustained failure of the Trump administration to get control of the coronavirus / COVID-19 situation.

But all may not be lost for the party of hate and death.  Last Friday Missouri's Republican Governor Mike Parson, another white male who becomes light-headed whenever he's in the same time zone as Donald Trump, signaled that he would like to  challenge Ron DeSantis and Brian Kemp for the title of worst governor in the nation.  

Mike Parson is an unelected "accidental" governor who was serving as the state's lieutenant governor three years ago when then Republican governor, Eric Greitens, got caught up in a sex and bondage scandal that eventually forced his resignation from office.  Parson, a former rural county sheriff, had scrambled to move from the state senate to the lietutenant governor's office, a job with few responsibilities, to fluff up his state retirement and subsidize the income from his small farm in Hickory County - but then Greitens was forced into resigning and Parson had stepped into it big time.

As governor Parson had managed to tow the Trump / GOP party line while remaining fairly uncontroversial - but that ended Friday.  Over the past few days he has been quoted nationwide and has come to be the poster boy for the Trump administraiton's plans to try and force America's schools to reopen this fall - in just a few weeks.

When asked by the radio interviewer, Marc Cox, about reopening the state's schools, Parson replied enthusiastically in the affirmative:

"These kids have got to get back to school.  They're at the lowest risk possible.  And if they do get COVID-19, which they will - and they will when they go to school - they're not going to the hospitals.  They're not going to have to sit in doctor's offices.  They're going to go home and they're going to get over it."

Clearly with Governor Parson's level of ignorance on the effects and transmission of COVID-19, he would be well qualified to serve in the Trump administration.

The governor of Missouri seemed to think that the only people who will be in our schools when they open will be children.  He conveniently overlooked teachers, aides, administrators, secretaries, lunch room personnel, bus drivers - as well as the parents, grandparents, and others who are in and out of the schools on a daily basis.  And those children who he says "will" get COVID-19 - and the governor is right about that - they will go home and they will share their infections with relatives, neighbors, store clerks, and every single human being with whom they interact.

Governor Mike Parson paints COVID-19 in simplistic terms, when, in reality, the disease is a complex affair that has traveled to the most remote reaches of the earth in just a few months.  It is the governor who is simple.

Over the past few days Missouri's simple governor has been slapped down by several prominent individuals on social media.  One comment that I saw as particularly appropriate came from Chelsea Clinton over Twitter:

"If Republican leaders, including @realDonaldTrump, actually cared about getting kids back to school next month, they would be doing everything possible to crush #covid19 transmission today.

"And, @GovParsonMO, some kids don't 'get over it,' some get very, very sick, and some die."

Many school districts in Missouri are expected to begin releasing their plans for reopening next week.

 

Missouri has had 35,154 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far and 1,158 deaths.  Last week the state averaged 854 confirmed new cases per day.  Clearly we are still in dangerous times.  

And clearly COVID-19 is more than an inconvenient case of the sniffles, regardless of what our simple governor thinks it is.  Some children will not "get over it," some will get "very, very sick," and some will "die."

That is our new reality.

The Coolest Cheetah

by Pa Rock
Proud Grandpa

My youngest granddaughter, Willow Files, lives in Oregon with her parents and two older brothers, and she attends elementary school where she has just completed second grade.  I say “completed,” although this was the year in which everyone’s education was interrupted.  Willow came home one day in early March after probably what was an uneventful day at school, and the next morning she learned that there would be no more classes at the school that year, and that now she and all of her friends would be doing their schoolwork from home.  Willow, like so many other kids, did not get to say goodbye to her teachers or her friends – and I know that she was sad about that.

Sometime not long after that the teachers at Willow’s school decided to go out into the neighborhoods around the school, the places where the kids live, in a convoy of cars with streamers and signs.  They honked and yelled and waved at the delighted kids and parents who stepped out of their houses to watch the impromptu parade.  It was the teachers' way of providing their students with some closure for the school year.

I am an old school teacher myself, and I think the teachers at Willow’s school are very cool!

There was a contest at Willow's school earlier this year for students to draw a "cheetah"s for the cover of the school's yearbook.  Students from grades K-5 submitted entries showing their depictions of the school's mascot.   This week the school’s yearbook came out (I have a copy!), and several of the cheetahs that the students drew are featured on various pages in the yearbook – and they are all very cool!

But the coolest cheetah is the one on the cover of the yearbook, a big cheetah standing on his two hind legs and waving a paw in welcome.  He is yellow with black spots positioned in front of a white background with many spots of different colors of paint.  On the back cover was a banner that read:  “Cover Art by Willow Files.”

And Pa Rock could not be prouder!

The following poem was included on the faculty page in the yearbook.  It is untitled, and probably penned by members of the teaching staff:

“I will teach you in a room.
I will teach you now on Zoom.
I will teach you in your house.
I will teach you with a mouse.
I will teach you here and there.
I will teach you because I care.
So just do your very best.
And do not worry about the rest.”

May government have the sense and the decency to protect and watch over our children and their teachers.

You drew a beautiful cheetah, Willow!  Pa Rock loves you and your brothers, and your cousins - very much!

Monday's Poetry: Epitaph on a Tyrant

by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator

Twentieth century British poet W.H. Auden penned the following poem, "Epitaph on a Tyrant" in 1940 at a time when the world was encumbered with several tyrants on the rise.  This piece is only a few lines long, but in those lines Auden managed to capture the essence of a crop of ruthless dictators, the ones who ravaged the planet for their own glory in World War II.

Now, eighty years later, those same lines still serve to remind us of the ease with which some people manage to ensnare others in their personal delusions.   And yes, one delusional world leader in particular jumps quickly to mind.  Auden's words today are as prescient and powerful as they were then.

May God give us the vision and good sense to protect ourselves from tyrants.


Epitaph on a Tyrant
by W.H. Auden

Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.

GOP Bill Aims to Force Schools to Reopen

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

My member of Congress, Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican representing Missouri's largely rural 8th district, is a forty-year-old bachelor lawyer who has no children.  The minor inconvenience of not having any children of his own, however, does not stop Congressman Smith from having a very rigid sense of what is best for children.  This week in his "Capital Report" which runs in area newspapers, the bachelor congressman focused his remarks on education.

The congressman talked about the idea of distance learning and noted that it is not as good as classroom instruction.  I agree.  He also talked about the sorry state of broadband connectivity throughout our region, and that also is beyond dispute - although Congressman Smith is in a position to promote changes in the nation's internet infrastructure.

The thrust of Congressman Smith’s weekly report was that he wanted to let his constituents know that he had “co-authored” a bill in Congress called the “Reopen Our Schools Act” to  “incentive (incentivize) school districts to provide in-person instruction in the fall by withholding federal support for school districts that fail to do so.”

Generally speaking, you “incentivize” by adding something to the mix, not taking money away.   An “incentive” to get schools to re-open might be extra money from the federal government to add classrooms (or trailers) and teachers to help with social distancing, or to provide extra funds to increase the number of school nurses and counselors that should be on hand to deal with the new reality of education during a pandemic – and to buy adequate stocks of face masks, digital thermometers, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and cleaning supplies to increase safety for students and school personnel.   

Taking money away from schools is not an incentive – it is a coercive action, and it would serve only to make a bad situation worse.   Most teachers and parents know that incentives are far more effective in achieving and maintaining desired results than are threats or coercion.

Congressman Smith justified his desire to see schools reopen in the fall by stating  “the evidence shows that it (reopening the schools) can be done safely,” and then he cited supposed success by some countries in Europe in reopening their schools.   That does not fit our situation, nor has enough time elapsed to prove the Congressman’s point anyway.  

We are not in Europe, and our experience in dealing with the pandemic has been markedly different from that of many other countries.  The infection “curve” has been flattened across much of Europe, but here in the United States the coronavirus is raging out of control – with 48 of 50 states reporting an increase in positive cases just this past week alone.   The danger posed by the coronavirus in our country is still on the rise.

Yes, children as a rule are at less risk of contracting COVID-19 through exposure to the coronavirus, but that does not mean they are immune.   Also, some school children have medical conditions that make them more susceptible to the disease. Children have died from COVID-19, and if this bill is passed and signed into law, even more children will get sick - and some of those will die.   It will happen.

Children are not the only people who will be put at risk by schools reopening prematurely.  Many adults work at schools:  teachers, aides, secretaries, bus drivers, nurses, counselors, cooks, custodians, administrators – and others.    Everyone at the school will be at greater risk of contracting the virus and the disease – and then so will everyone in the homes where those students and adults return each evening.

Schools have a very positive impact on their communities, but if we rush into reopening schools early, the unintended consequences could be devastating.

If Rep. Smith and his fellow congressmen want to get a serious handle on how the pandemic is impacting our schools, they need to get out and attend some school board meetings and listen to the concerns and fears of the people who function where the rubber hits the road.  Cutting school funding will only serve to make a difficult job that much harder, and it will not be in the best interests of the children or the communities.

Local school districts need to decide when it is safe to reopen, and they need to be able to make those life-and-death decisions without being strong-armed by the federal government.

COVID-19 is still with us.  We need to recognize that reality and act accordingly.   Anything less is unacceptable and puts lives at risk.

And shame on any legislators who want to take money away from schools or health care facilities during these very troubled times.  They might do well to send their moral compasses back to the factory for recalibrations!

Oregon Seeks to Oust Invading Army

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

I've written about Portland, Oregon, previously in this space.  During normal years, those without a rampaging plague, I travel to Salem, Oregon (the state capital), at least twice a year to see my West Coast grandchildren.  When I make that trip, I always fly into and out of Portland, the largest city in the state, and then rent a car at the airport to get to and from Salem which is about sixty miles southeast of Portland.  I usually spend the last night of each trip in the city of Portland where I invariably sample some of its excellent cuisine and culture.

Portland is a great city with lots to see and do and a great rail system for carting people all around the metropolis.  Politically it is decidedly left-of-center, and the city prides itself on being a bit "weird."  It is also one of those rare places in America where almost everyone you encounter is friendly and more than happy to assist a stranger with questions.

Portland, Oregon, has no overt allegiance to Donald Trump, nor would he ever expect any political favors from the city - or even from the entire state of Oregon for that matter.   Because the city and state have no political value for Trump, they can readily serve as targets of his political machinations without fear of any political losses whatsoever.

Because the people of Portland tend to be outspoken, political protests are not uncommon in the city.   Several years ago while I was shopping in and around Pioneer Square I literally stumbled into a protest in support of Army PFC Chelsea (Bradley) Manning.  There was no open hostility in the group, just a collection of concerned individuals holding homemade signs and chanting.  If any of them needed a bathroom break, the local stores allowed them inside to use their facilities.  It was a real community affair.

For the past several weeks Portland has been dealing with protesters who are supporting the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and Donald Trump, who has been on the lookout for an easy target, decided that Portland would be an ideal place to flex his authoritarian muscle.  Approximately two weeks ago he sent in federal troops whose mission ostensibly was to "restore" order.

Trump's troops are on the streets of downtown Portland in camouflage fatigue uniforms and armed with assault weapons.  They are not wearing name tags or any form of  unit identification.  It is unclear if they are active duty military, reservists, representatives of federal agencies, or members of  contracted private militias, but they appear to be under the direct control of Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.    Wolf, who seems to fancy himself as being some sort of military leader, has no military background and was recently described by a writer in Mother Jones magazine as a "former airport security bureaucrat who became a lobbyist."  Since his promotion to his current acting position last November, Wolf has quickly become a Trump favorite.

Yesterday a clip played on social media showing a couple of these mysterious men in uniform taking a lone protester into custody and then placing him in the back of a minivan that was filled with other uniformed personnel - and driving away.  The man was reportedly released at another location without charges.

The federal troops are working completely independent of local and state police.

Regardless of who these secret forces are - or what there exact mission is - the state of Oregon did not request their presence, and the state of Oregon does not want their presence.  Members of the Oregon congressional delegation are calling for their immediate removal, as is Kate Brown, the governor of Oregon.

Last night Oregon's attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order that would bar the Department of Homeland Security and other federal law enforcement agencies from seizing and detaining Portland protesters without probable cause.

Rosenblum said:

"The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.  Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening.  If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere."

Many in Oregon see the presence of federal troops as an unlawful incursion and a challenge to the state's right to do its own policing.  Others are more cynical and suggest that it is an election ploy by Trump  designed to create footage of his government being tough on protesters.

And still others see it as a sneak peek at what a second Trump term in office would look like.

Be afraid, America - be very afraid!

Trump Sidelines Dr. Fauci and the CDC to Control COVID Narrative

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

When it comes to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the story is in the numbers, and it changes daily.

We are used to hearing how many new infections are in a local area, or a state, or the nation.  Every day there are stories about the numbers of ICU beds that are available in given areas for serious COVID patients, and  which areas are experiencing shortages of life-saving equipment such as respirators - and how many they are short.  We are informed of the number of tests being given, as well as how many people are still waiting to be tested.    And we hear the fatality numbers.

The United States response to the pandemic has overall been a tragedy of errors, but the one thing we could rely on was that we have been kept informed of the numbers - and that has been thanks to the efforts of the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Amid all of the national embarrassment of our nation's abysmal response to the extreme medical emergency, we knew that we could rely on two things:  Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC.

Now Dr. Fauci, the Trump's administration's one truth-teller, appears to have been sidelined, and the collection of the national and state numbers from hospitals has been abruptly taken away from the CDC and given to a new political authority within the Department of Homeland Security where it appears that the information can be more easily manipulated and controlled.

Yesterday it was reported that Trump has asked governors to send national guard members to hospitals to insure that they are sending the numbers to Homeland Security and not to the CDC. Also yesterday the CDC abruptly pulled its coronavirus numbers' dashboard down from its website.

As of now it looks as though there will no longer be a reliable set of numbers by which the public can judge for itself the extent of the pandemic or its level of danger.   From this point onward information will be more strenuously filtered through the Trump administration before it is available for public consumption.

If a new reporting system was needed, (and many medical personnel are openly saying that it was not needed), changing the system in the middle of a pandemic is certain to cause confusion and lessen the quality of the data that are reported.

Donald Trump and his administration view the pandemic as a political crisis rather than a health crisis, and they know that if they can control the numbers, they will be able to control the narrative.  Yes, the pandemic will rage on, but the public will have much less knowledge of how bad it is.

And while ignorance may be bliss, it can also be deadly.

Mask Wars

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Even in the event of a massive power surge, Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, is destined to remain a dim bulb.  Yesterday he announced that cities and counties in his state do not have the authority to impose face mask requirements on their residents, and he voided all of the mask requirements that have been imposed by local governments within his state.  Several large Georgia cities had required the wearing of face masks in public places - cities including Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Athens, and Rome - and pushback to the governor's fiat appears to be certain and swift.

Governor Kemp, for his part, would like for people to choose to wear face masks - out of a sense of personal responsibility and not because of a government mandate.  Kay Ivey, the Republican governor of the neighboring state of Alabama, had been of the same mind, but yesterday she changed course and mandated that persons in Alabama who could not social distance in public must wear face masks.  Governor Ivey then whined that she felt her order was going to be hard to enforce.

Kevin Stitt, the Republican governor of Oklahoma, a state that does not have a mandatory face mask order, announced yesterday that he has COVID-19 and is ill with the disease.  Governor Stitt attended Donald Trump's unsafe political rally in Tulsa on June 20th, but he believes he did not contract the virus and disease there.

As politicians like Brian Kemp, Kay Ivey, and Kevin Stitt pull their political wagons in various directions, American businesses, the bulwark of the capitalist economic system, seem to be deciding that it is in their best interest to keep the public and their employees as safe as possible.   Many national chains like Best Buy, Kohls, Costco, and Starbucks already have mask orders in place for their businesses, and yesterday Krogers and Walmart announced that they would be following suit.

Walmart Stores and Sam's Clubs will begin requiring the wearing of face masks next Monday, July 20th.  This week the stores are busy training employees how to respond to the various crises that are likely to erupt in their stores nationwide when the new policy takes effect.   A whole bunch of Chads and Karens can be expected to raise hell when one of those kindly little old people in a blue vest asks them to give up their personal liberties and wear a mask!

Walmart will offer complimentary masks at the door, and they will be available for purchase inside of each store.  Several varieties in various amounts are also available from Walmart (and numerous other providers) on-line over the internet.

American politicians may lack the resolve to get us to act in our own best interests, but the American business community, motivated by sales and profits, feels no such compunction.  They want healthy employees and customers to keep the marketplace functioning.

And Walmart will likely become be the tail that wags the dog and brings about the social acceptability of wearing masks nationwide - because once you are kicked out of Walmart, where else is there left to go!

Costco Heads to the Ozarks!

by Pa Rock
Happy Shopper

A friend emailed the good news yesterday informing me that my favorite big-box store, Costco, will soon be opening its first store in the Ozarks.  A bit of research revealed that the mega-retailer plans on opening a warehouse/store in Springfield, Missouri, in the fall of 2021.

Currently to get to a Costco I have to drive to either the St. Louis (three hours plus) or the Kansas City area (nearly five hours).  The new store will will be two hours from my door to theirs.  This will be Costco's first encroachment into the solid Walmart area of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas - and competition will be such a grand thing!

Not only does Costco pay its employees better that Walmart, it also offers better benefit plans - and  it is seen as a leader in employee relations in the retail sector.  In 2019 new employees at Costco were earning over $15 an hour plus benefits - and the ones I have observed and talked to seem to like their jobs.

The new Springfield store expects to hire between 125 to possibly more than 200 individuals.  Ultimate employment figures will depend on how busy the public keeps the store - and this Costco shopper anticipates that it will be damned busy!

Thank you for for finally coming to the Ozarks, Costco - and know that you will truly be welcome!

An Eventful Day in History

by Pa Rock
Proud Son

Today, July 14th,  is Bastille Day, the day in 1789 when street mobs in Paris stormed the Bastille and emptied the old fort and prison of its few inmates.  That bloody confrontation in the streets grew into what became known as the French Revolution,

And it was on this date nearly a hundred years later in 1881 when a sheriff in New Mexico named Pat Garrett shot and killed a 21-year-old desperado who went by the name "Billy the Kid."  Garrett later immortalized himself in a book that he wrote about the assassination of the young murdering outlaw.

Leslie Lynch King, Jr. was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 14th, 1913.  A few days after his birth the child's mother took him and moved to Michigan to escape the abuse of the boy's alcoholic father.  Once in Michigan she remarried and changed the name of her child to Gerald Rudolph Ford, the name he would still be using many years later when he became the 38th President of the United States.

World renown filmmaker Ingmar Bergman was born on this date in Sweden in 1918.  On that same day - and year - Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Teddy Roosevelt, was killed in an air battle over France during World War I.    It was Bastille Day - and an American child of privilege repaid, with his own blood, some of the debt that his country owed to Lafayette.

And three years after that, on July 14th 1921, my mother, Ruby Florine Sreaves was born in her family's farmhouse in rural Newton County, Missouri. Today she would have been ninety-nine-years-old.

Mom, like so many in her generation, learned to enjoy smoking in the years during and after World War II, and that habit ultimately brought about her much-too-early death at the age of sixty-five.  She had two children, and they, in turn, gave her seven grandchildren, all of whom she was able to meet before her passing on a cold December day in 1986.  She was not around to meet any of her great-grandchildren, but they currently number twelve, as well as one who passed away as a toddler.

By the time ninety-nine more years have passed, my mother's descendants will likely be scattered to the edges of the Earth, and perhaps further, and they are apt to be so numerous as to defy counting.

Thanks for giving us a start, Mom.  You are missed!

Trump: One Part Mogul, Two Parts Moron

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Back in the summer of 2019 when Donald Trump had been in office a little over two years, he floated the idea of buying Greenland, a notion which brought a quick and curt "no thank you" from officials in Denmark, the country which ostensibly controls the affairs of Greenland, the world's largest island that has been more-or-less self-governing since 1947.

Trump had entered politics to increase his brand recognition, but in 2016 he had somehow overshot that mark and managed to get himself elected president.  He came into office with no political experience, something he and his base touted as a positive,  Trump had run on the claim that as a "real" businessman he could manage the very important business of America.  He would be the nation's CEO and great days would fall upon us.

Trump's base was rapturous that someone as successful as Donald Trump would be in charge of the country.  His success as a businessman was obvious because his name was on so many buildings - and what more evidence could anyone need?

Well, the joke, of course, was on them - and us.  It turns out that Trump inherited a pile of money from his racist slumlord father and managed to squander most of it.  By the time NBC hired him to do reality television, the Trump business "empire" had been reduced to basically money laundering for Russian oligarchs. He had failed at legitimate business - repeatedly - and was now satisfying his ego through "stardom" on television and helping Russians hide their illegal takings from the motherland in investments in the United States - things like apartments and condos in Trump buildings.

Trump's actual business experience was steeped in failure or clouded in secretive international transactions.

But Donald Trump is a raging narcissist who believes in himself regardless of mountains of evidence to the contrary.  He describes himself as a business mogul, so he must be one.  And when he talks about perhaps striking a deal to uy Greenland, he wants to be taken seriously. His man Mnuchin is over at Treasury signing the money - and Treasury has the money - so why can't Trump  buy Greenland if he wants to?  It is, after all, just business.

According to a report this week in The New York Times,  Greenland was not Trump's first foray into the realm of buying and selling land for the United States.  Two years earlier, in the fall of 2017, when Hurricane Maria was bearing down on Puerto Rico, Trump floated the idea of selling Puerto Rico, but his acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke and others talked him down from that lunacy.    Trump wound up initiating a series of petty disputes with the island's leaders, and much of the damage from that devastating storm and Trump's bickering still remains nearly three years later.

But the people of Puerto Rico were brown-skinned and primarily spoke Spanish - and the Trump family had no expensive real estate holdings on the beautiful Caribbean Island - so why not sell it? Puerto Rico had no value to Trump and was more aligned with what he considered to be "shithole" countries.  Apparently at one point he even talked about trading it to Denmark for Greenland.

Donald Trump, who could not run his own businesses without help from the Russian mob, seemed to think that he could buy and sell property for the United States of America based on nothing but his instincts.  Somewhere he probably came across an illustrated history of the Louisiana Purchase and saw himself as both Napoleon, the seller, and Jefferson, the buyer.

Today few people take Trump seriously, but one more election could raise his stature as international real estate tycoon significantly.  Who really needs the Guam, or Catalina, or Brownsville anyway?

And Denmark might see the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa as being a fair swap for the glacial Greenland.

Donald could do his deals in the mornings - between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m - and still have a nice chunk of daylight left for golf!  With just one more term he could truly transform America into a quality Trump resort - bedbugs and all!

As long as Donald John Trump remains in office, we all would do well to keep an eye on Craig's List!

A COVID Vaccine is Developed - then What?

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

An old friend from high school and I were exchanging emails yesterday, and the current plague of COVID-19 was at the center of much of our discussion.  My friend, who like me is in her early seventies, lives in a COVID hotspot and was lamenting the fact that she almost never leaves her house, and when she does she has to be extremely careful.  We were talking about our hopes that a vaccine would soon be available and our lives could go back to normal.

But then, as I was typing a response to one of her points, the thought suddenly struck me that the vaccine will likely appear in the spring and whoever was in the White House at that time would have a hand in figuring out how to get it distributed across the country.  And what if, God forbid, Trump was still our leader.  His administration has never exhibited competence or fairness, so how would that distribution work out.

Would Trump take care of himself, his family and his friends first, and then figure out a way to profit off of the rest of us?   Or would he perhaps reroute large portions of the vaccine to other countries as he reportedly did with medical supplies during the early days of the pandemic?   Would he institute policies to insure that "red" states got the life-protecting vaccine before "blue" states?  Would some facilities - like prisons and immigration centers - be ignored completely?   There were so many ways that Trump could use his greed, innate dishonesty, and prejudices to interfere with a national vaccination program.

Clearly a proven vaccine would have a great monetary profitability attached to it, and surely a seasoned grifter like Trump would be focused on skimming some of that profit into his own pockets.

A couple of hours later I heard a news story on the radio which revealed that Bill Gates was also pondering how to distribute the vaccine in an equitable manner - proving, I suppose, that great minds really do think alike!

The crux of Gates' concern was the need to have leaders "make these hard decisions about distributing based on equity, not just on market driven factors."  He said that COVID-19 medications and future vaccines should be distributed to people who need them the most, and not to "the highest bidder."

Gates warned:

"If we just let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidder, instead of to the people and the places where they are most needed, we'll have a longer, more unjust deadlier pandemic."

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that twenty-one candidate vaccines are currently in clinical trials being tested on human volunteers, and that three of those are in the third phase of those trials.    With that level of activity already underway, it seems likely that a vaccine will be developed and ready to distribute (or market?) by next spring.

Development of a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 has been a worldwide effort, a major battle, and it will soon have been won.  But getting that vaccine out to the people who need it will be an even greater challenge.  There are lots of people in this world who feel entitled to move to the head of the line - or to make a profit over the plight of others - and they will all have to be dealt with in one way or another as the world slowly brings the pandemic under control.

In the United States we can move to eliminate some of the problems in advance by making sure the Trump family is not in the White House when the vaccine if finally developed!  And anyone who thinks they may possibly be residing in the White House next spring needs to be thinking today about how to vaccinate the entire country in a way that is fair, and swift, and saves as many lives as possible.

A vaccine will only work if it is able to reach the people who need it.  Defeating COVID-19 will take more than just vaccinating the privileged in society.  It must be made readily available to all.

Donnie Diapers Frees Another Member of his Gang

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

This week saw two very different scenarios play out with individuals who testified before Congress regarding the political dealings of Donald John Trump.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a decorated Iraq War veteran who gave damning testimony during the impeachment hearings about Trump's dealings with foreign leaders, was on an Army list for promotion to the rank of full colonel, but that promotion was being argued against by Trump himself.  LTC Vindman finally withdrew from the fight and retired from the service rather than endure any more of Trump's intimidation and bullying.

Alexander Vindman had been truthful with Congress and wound up losing his career because of it.

And, on the other side of that same coin was Roger Stone, a political operative whose time in the sewers of politics extended all the way back to his personal services for Richard Nixon.  Stone was convicted of seven charges last November, including lying to Congress and obstructing the proceedings of a congressional committee - and federal prosecutors originally recommended that he be sentenced to up to nine years in prison.  Trump's chief Capo at the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr, railed that the sentence of nine years would be much too harsh.

All four of the original prosecutors wound up quitting in disgust at Barr's interference before sentencing, and four new ones came on board who also supported the original heavier sentence, even though their boss, William Barr, was still carrying water for Stone and Trump and opposed the long sentence.   The judge sentenced Roger Stone to forty months in prison, and his term was to have begun on July 14th.

This week when Roger Stone was asked about the possibility (or likelihood) of a pardon by Trump, Stone replied that he would prefer a "commutation" of his sentence.  (Instead of being forgiven for his "crimes," commuting the sentence from forty months down to zero days would come nearer implying that he had done nothing wrong).

Trump took that advice and yesterday in a Friday evening news dump, commuted Roger Stone's sentence.  His fixer would now not have to serve any time in prison, and all of Trump's secrets would remain safe with the grateful Roger Stone.   And, perhaps most importantly, future witnesses against Trump would be able to see for themselves that he willfully punishes his enemies (like LTC Vindman) and takes care of his friends (like Roger Stone).  Gangsters have long seen the advantage of making examples of people as a way to facilitate the behavior of others.

Clearly James Madison, the father of our Constitution, did not envision a president who would use the powers of clemency for self-preservation, and clearly Donald Trump is delighted with Madison's error in judgment.

Donald Trump continues to ride roughshod over the law, but on November 3rd Americans will have one final opportunity to rein him in.  May we all rise to the occasion!

Fifth Avenue Street Party

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Yesterday was not Donald Trump's best day since the Electoral College handed him the keys to the White House nearly four years ago.  In fact, yesterday was pretty much a wipe-out for the usual blustery Trump.

First of all the United States Supreme Court, a judicial body Trump sometimes refers to as "my," handed the blowhard-in-chief a pair of losses in cases that were of a personal nature to Trump.  One case involved congressional committees seeking access to Trump's business and tax records, and the other involved the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seeking many of the same materials.  Trump argued that, as President, he was protected from congressional nosiness into his personal affairs by the Constitution's separation of powers, and that as a sitting president, he was exempt from prosecution by state and local governments.

The Court did not buy Trump's logic in either case, but did send the congressional case back to the lower courts for more clarification - and it ruled in favor of the position of the Manhattan District Attorney, but gave Trump an opportunity to go back and file some stalling procedures in that matter.

The bottom line is that the Manhattan District Attorney will eventually be able to access the Trump business records that it seeks, but that is unlikely to happen before he leaves office in January.  Congress, too, is likely to prevail and get access to the records - but again, that would be after Trump leaves office in January.

The Court did establish clearly that a sitting President is not above the law, and it reached that decision on a pair of 7-2 votes in which both Trump justices, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, voted with the majority and against their benefactor, Donald John Trump.

The other stain on Trump's day came in the form of a New York City block party that happened outside of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.  There city employees and a few celebrities - and many onlookers - gathered to paint the words "Black Lives Matter" on the street in front of the building that not only bears Trump's name but also has one of his homes as well as his business office.  Trump had tried to goad the New York City Police Department into stopping the Mayor's plans to paint the street in front of his building, but the police wisely chose to stay out of the pissing contest between Donald Trump and Mayor De Blasio.

Trump recently described the words "Black Lives Matter" as "hate speech," and he has said that painting those words on the "luxury" avenue would "denigrate" it.

Mayor De Blasio showed up at yesterday's street party in front of Trump Tower where he grabbed a paint roller and joined in the painting.  The mayor's wife, who is black, also helped to paint the street as did political activist Reverend Al Sharpton.

Other notables who helped the city paint it's new sign were some of the original members of the Central Park Five, a group who, as teens, were coerced by police, without benefit of lawyers, into pleading guilty to the assault and rape of a female jogger in Central Park in 1989.  All five later withdrew their guilty pleas but were found guilty anyway.  They each served several years in prison before another individual came forth and admitted to the crimes - and that confession was backed up by DNA evidence.

At the time of the arrest of the Central Park Five, private citizen Donald Trump bought full-page ads in four New York city newspapers with the headline:  "Bring Back the Death Penalty, Bring Back Our Police!"  During the subsequent publicity blitz that Trump got following the big newspaper ad buys, he stated that he "hates anyone who commits a crime such as rape" and noted that "hatred could also be a key for change."

Donald Trump has, himself, been accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

As late as 2016, long after the young men had been exonerated, Trump was still displaying anger toward the Central Park Five who by then he was calling "muggers," and railing because they had received cash payouts form the City of New York and New York state for the time that they had wrongfully spent behind bars.

But yesterday some members of the Central Park Five finally had their say - in big, bold, yellow letters on Fifth Avenue out in front of Trump Tower - where they proved before the whole world that it is possible for a sitting president to be humiliated in his own front yard.

New York City, you make us proud!

Small Town America Struggles with the Plague

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

I live in a "big" small town in rural southern Missouri.  West Pains has a population of 12,000 in a county of around 40,000 individuals.   Since the pandemic began hitting its stride in early March, my county, Howell, has reported approximately 50 cases of individuals who are positive for COVID-19, with most of those being reported within the past couple of weeks - and a majority living in or around West Plains.

My physician and I talked about the impact of the pandemic on the local area.  He said that a good rule of thumb, at least for this area, is to assume there are fifty positive cases in the area for each one that is discovered.  That would indicate that there are probably 2,500 positive cases in Howell County,  and that a majority of those would be in the West Plains area.

That is not yet a panic situation, but to this 72-year-old diabetic with a history of heart issues and the limitations imposed by a broken arm (or shoulder), it is concerning.

I can no longer drive because of the broken arm (or shoulder), and the end result is that I do not get to town very often.   Last week, after being at home without respite for more than two solid weeks, I had two brief opportunities to go to town - and those trips provided some insights into the local changes that are occurring because of the pandemic.

First of all, one of the local grocery stores has finally initiated a curbside pickup program - and I understand it may be gearing up for a delivery program as well.  Thank you, Aldi's for moving into the 21st century.  Hopefully the other stores will begin following your lead.

Face masks were also more common than they had been previously.  I had to run into a local "dollar" store for a couple of birthday cards, something I dreaded because the store's floorspace is crowded with merchandise - and shoppers there sometimes seem to be a bit resistive when it comes to following social norms.  But this time I was surprised - shocked - to find that all of the people I encountered in the store were wearing face masks!  I have no idea what brought about that sudden rush to mask, but this old coot appreciated the effort of all concerned.

(I even saw people out on the streets wearing masks.)

I noticed quite a bit more traffic in town than I had seen in past recent trips.  Most of the fast food franchises appeared to have opened their dining rooms, and all seemed to have a good lunch business going - though none appeared to be overly crowded.  I am guessing that some who have returned to work are now packing lunches rather than rubbing elbows with others who are eating out.

I also visited a medical clinic that had been generally ignoring safety protocols when I had last been there three weeks earlier - but this time everyone was masked, and all of the safety rules were being vigorously followed.

Overall the impression I received was that people are trying to resume as much of their pre-pandemic lives as they can, but they also seem to be aware that the crisis is not over - and that being careless will only serve to make things worse and extend the agony of living in pandemic mode.  I also suspect that some who have recently returned to work feel that has been forced upon them, and they are fighting against the increased likelihood of becoming infected by taking precautions.

Whatever the causes, businesses here in my rural part of the world are opening back up, and people still seem to be concerned with remaining as safe as they can be.  And I am all for that because ultimately my safety depends on theirs!

Trump Demands Schools Re-Open Amid Rampaging Pandemic

by Pa Rock
Educator

Donald Trump, a man whose vocabulary and writing skills quit developing somewhere around fourth grade, has never been much of a proponent for education, especially the "public" education of America's non-rich sector.    That is certainly one of the reasons that he appointed his major campaign donor, Betsy DeVos, as his Secretary of Education.  DeVos, who has devoted a lifetime to championing religious, private, and charter schools, which all draw money and resources away from public schools, has spent four years in Washington, DC, promoting the education of the privileged few over that of everyone else.

And then there are Mike and Mother (Karen) Pence.  Mike, the homophobic former governor of Indiana, has also never been an open champion of free public education, and Mother teaches art at a private school in Virginia which refuses admission to the children of gay parents.

It would seem to say that the Trump administration has never been known for being supportive of K-12 education in the United States, particularly if that education was what is commonly described as taxpayer-funded public education.

But over the past few weeks Trump has suddenly begun expressing a loud interest in America's schools.  Monday he issued a tweet in all caps that said:  "SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!"   That was followed yesterday by several education stakeholder groups being brought to the White House for pep talks on the need to reopen schools in the fall.  Also yesterday Vice President Pence and Education Secretary DeVos had conference calls with governors encouraging them to reopen the schools, with both officials saying that returning to school was essential to the health of the US economy.

(Open schools give parents someplace to send their kids while the parents return to their jobs.)

This morning Trump was again banging out tweets calling for schools to reopen.  An hour ago he had this to say in a tweet:

"In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!"

And schools are undoubtedly opening in some countries where the pandemic is under control, but the pandemic is still massively out-of-control in the United States.  Currently nearly three-quarters of the states are experiencing increases in reported cases, hospitalizations, and even deaths.

Yesterday the Commissioner of Education in Florida announced that all of that state's school districts would resume classes in the fall.  That is in spite of the fact that Florida is currently experiencing record increases in COVID-19 cases.  Other states are being more cautious, at least for the time being.

Public K-12 schools are run primarily through state and local funding, with only modest contributions from the federal government, but Trump, as noted in the above tweet, is threatening to use the small federal contributions to schools as a club to force their reopening.  He is also politicizing the issue by accusing Democrats of wanting to keep schools closed until the November elections, presumably as a way of embarrassing him and his administration.

Most schools are funded by complicated formulas that factor in student enrollment and attendance figures.  Opening schools will be expensive, perhaps more expensive than ever before as some schools will likely go in shifts in order to allow for social distancing - a process that would call for more teachers and support staff.  More coronavirus testing will also have to be done in schools to insure that asymptomatic carriers are not present and spreading the virus, and more money will be required for extra cleaning of school facilities.   Also, some parents will not send their children back to school regardless of what Trump demands - and those lower enrollment numbers will play out across school funding formulas.

It is going to be a very difficult year for education in the United States, with or without interference from the Trump administration, but Trump, Pence, and DeVos all seem hellbent on maximizing the difficulty and exposing America's children to massive health and safety risks.

Oh for the days when children were our priority!

Tammy Takes Tucker to the Woodshed

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

Over the past several weeks US Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois had begun receiving some attention as a potential running mate for Joe Biden.  She was admittedly a long shot, not one of the names usually discussed for the position, but people were starting to talk about the possibility of a Biden-Duckworth ticket.

But last night all of that may have changed.

Senator Duckworth, who was born fifty-two years ago in Bangkok, Thailand to a Thai-Chinese mother and a military American father, is herself an American military veteran who lost both legs while serving as a combat helicopter pilot in the Iraq War.  Last night, for reasons known only unto himself, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson chose to lob a few shots at Senator Duckworth.  This morning he may be regretting that decision.

Carlson, a white man who grew up in privileged circumstances (he was an heir to the Swanson Foods fortune) - and who never served in the military himself, inexplicably chose to attack Senator Duckworth during his show yesterday evening.  Carlson tried to paint Duckworth as part of the movement to remove historical monuments based on a statement that she had made suggesting that the country should have a national dialogue over the matter.

Carlson said:

"You're not supposed to criticize Tammy Duckworth in any way because she once served in the military.  Most people just ignore her.  But when Duckworth does speak in public, you're reminded what a deeply silly and unimpressive person she is."

And after that patronizing and paternalistic lead, Tucker Carlson went on to say:

"Well, it's long been considered out of bounds to question a person's partriotism.  It's a very strong charge and we try not ever to make it.  But in the face of all of this, the conclusion can't be avoided:  These people actually hate America, there's no question about that."

Big words for a trust-fund baby who never wore his country's uniform, especially when used to describe a decorated war veteran who suffered massive injuries while fighting for our country.

But Carlson probably had not even finished his second after-show cocktail when Senator Duckworth tweeted this gem back at him:

"Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?"

(As of this morning that tweet has been retweeted over 50,000 times!)

 Touche, Tucker, touche!


Or, as political writer Bill Kristol noted in response to the Tammy versus Tucker word duel:

"Meet Vice President Duckworth."

Monday's Poetry: "The Influenza, 1890"

by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator

While the current pandemic is seen as a unique event by many, the uncontrolled spread of disease has "plagued" our fragile planet since before the start of recorded history.  Today when people discuss the history of pandemics, they often bring up the world-wide "Spanish Flu"pandemic which originated  in Kansas in 1918 and went on to take tens of millions of lives around the globe.

But less than twenty years before the "Spanish Flu," there was another world-wide influenza event that took over a million lives.  The "Russian" or "Asiatic" flu originated in interior Russaia in 1889 and went on to spread across much of the northern hemisphere. The brunt of this last great pandemic of the 19th century took place in 1890.

In that year an English schoolboy at Harrow put pen to paper and set his thoughts on that pandemic into a poetry verse.  The student was fifteen-year-old Winston Churchill, a lad who seemed to have more respect for the efforts of soldiers in conquering the world than he did for the efforts of germs and disease.   Here his how Winston saw the global health crisis of his youth:


The Influenza, 1890
by Winston Churchill

Oh how shall I its deeds recount Or measure the untold amount Of ills that it has done? From China's bright celestial land E'en to Arabia's thirsty sand It journeyed with the sun. O'er miles of bleak Siberia's plains Where Russian exiles toil in chains It moved with noiseless tread; And as it slowly glided by There followed it across the sky The spirits of the dead. The Ural peaks by it were scaled And every bar and barrier failed To turn it from its way; Slowly and surely on it came, Heralded by its awful fame, Increasing day by day. On Moscow's fair and famous town Where fell the first Napoleon's crown It made a direful swoop; The rich, the poor, the high, the low Alike the various symptoms know, Alike before it droop. Nor adverse winds, nor floods of rain Might stay the thrice-accursed bane; And with unsparing hand, Impartial, cruel and severe It travelled on allied with fear And smote the fatherland. Fair Alsace and forlorn Lorraine, The cause of bitterness and pain In many a Gaelic breast, Receive the vile, insatiate scourge, And from their towns with it emerge And never stay nor rest. And now Europa groans aloud, And 'neath the heavy thunder-cloud Hushed is both song and dance; The germs of illness wend their way To westward each succeeding day And enter merry France. Fair land of Gaul, thy patriots brave Who fear not death and scorn the grave Cannot this foe oppose, Whose loathsome hand and cruel sting, Whose poisonous breath and blighted wing Full well thy cities know. In Calais port the illness stays, As did the French in former days, To threaten Freedom's isle; But now no Nelson could o'erthrow This cruel, unconquerable foe, Nor save us from its guile. Yet Father Neptune strove right well To moderate this plague of Hell, And thwart it in its course; And though it passed the streak of brine And penetrated this thin line, It came with broken force. For though it ravaged far and wide Both village, town and countryside, Its power to kill was o'er; And with the favouring winds of Spring (Blest is the time of which I sing) It left our native shore. God shield our Empire from the might Of war or famine, plague or blight And all the power of Hell, And keep it ever in the hands Of those who fought 'gainst other lands, Who fought and conquered well.