A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE

 At the beginning of the pandemic, around the middle of November of 2019, a warning emerged from Wuhan, China of a strange and previously unknown virus that began to make people very sick. Many people who contracted this virus died. Warnings circulated despite the efforts of the Chinese government to suppress them. News agencies picked up the story in December, but the majority of the population and most governments around the world remained complacent. It wasn't until March of 2020, when cases of the virus turned up in every corner of the globe, and people became sick and died in large numbers, that governments became serious about trying to handle the plague. But it was too late: the virus had established a strong foothold and began to spread. The war against covid 19 was on.

In the early going, we were badly prepared. There was a hue and cry about the lack of Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE ) for hospital and Long Term Care ( LTC ) workers and other front line workers. People became alarmed at the lack of PPE and shuddered to think of LTC workers going in to care for their clients wearing garbage bags and spraying simple paper or cloth masks with lysol for the umpteenth time as they reported for work. But, eventually, governments ramped up production of PPE and, by late spring, there was enough to go around. Now, there is a constant supply of PPE and sanitizer for the general public. We identified a problem and we got about the business of solving it. 

As the summer of 2020 unfolded, we grew complacent as the numbers dipped. Many thought the crisis was over and wanted desperately to resume normal life. But as the end of August arrived, and a new school year was about to start, the numbers increased. The "second wave" of covid was upon us and the numbers grew. Another hue and cry erupted about the number of covid tests being done. Medical professionals could not accurately predict how the second wave was going to evolve because there was not enough materials available for increased testing of the population. As a result, our leaders had no idea of the severity of the second wave until testing was ramped up. Testing equipment was manufactured in greater number and testing facilities were created in order to test larger numbers of people. More tests revealed more covid spread, more illness and more death. Lockdowns ensued, arguably too late to head off the worst of the second wave, but enough to start to mitigate the numbers, hospitalizations and deaths at the time of this writing. Again, a problem was identified and we got about the business of solving it. Testing is being done in record numbers.  

In October of 2020, two pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, announced that they had perfected and tested vaccines against covid 19. The world rejoiced at the news. Other companies and countries are following suit with developing vaccines. But as we journeyed into the winter of 2020-21, shortages of the vaccine began to appear. Pfizer claimed that they needed to re-tool a facility in Belgium in order to meet the demand. Moderna has not provided a reason for their shortages. It is clear that these companies have put all their resources in developing the vaccine, but not in the production of the product. People are understandable becoming concerned as the vaccine roll out moves at a snail's pace. Surely this could have been foreseen by companies and governments ? Our hopes were raised only to have them dashed. Many people believe there will be no vaccine coming for the rest of the year. People have allowed their frustration with a year of isolation and their impatience in the "quick fix" not being right in front of them to make hard and accusatory statements about their leaders or their fellow citizens. Bad feeling abound. Another doom and gloom scenario is taking hold. 

The experience of the previous crises, the arrival of the virus, the PPE shortage and the testing shortage, should provide some lessons for us. 

First, when problems of a large magnitude arise, we are, as a society, very slow to react. This is mainly because we just simply refuse to believe there is a problem and that those who try to sound warnings are seen as either crazy or paranoid. We think that we just have to keep going as we always have and things will be all right in the end. Obviously, this is wrong and it seems that some of us have learned from this mistake. 

Second, we have learned that, when shortages or lack of preparation occur, we are able to overcome them. But we don't overcome them very quickly. We've seen this before, in history. In the 1930's, few people took the threat of Adolf Hilter's Nazis seriously until it was too late. When war broke out, few countries were prepared for the challenge. But, eventually, the challenges were met and victory ultimately was claimed by the enemies of fascism. The same will happen in the war against covid. We WILL manufacture enough vaccine to get control of the virus. But it will take time. 

The third and final lesson from all this is that those in leadership will pay a heavy price for their lack of foresight and their refusal to be proactive in dealing with this serious threat. In the 1940's, Winston Churchill, the man who foresaw the rise and threat of fascism and who eventually led Britain to victory, was defeated in the general election of 1945. People appreciated his wartime leadership, but wanted no part of him once the war was over. Current leaders will, undoubtedly, suffer the same fate. Trump has already, thankfully, been voted out of office, for many reasons, but largely because of his poor response to the challenge of covid 19. Voters will associate all leaders, rightly or wrongly, with the pandemic and will hold them accountable for the slowness of the response, the lack of proactive vision, and the weak will to mobilize the population to fight the fight.

What must be remembered, however, is that we, the people ..... all of us .... must take responsibility for the shortcomings. Few of us foresaw the disaster that covid has presented to us. Few of us did what was necessary at the beginning to lessen the effects of the virus. And most of us now have lost all perspective on how this will turn out.  We must learn lessons from this. We must change the way we live our lives. We must change the way society does things. And we must demand more and better from our leaders.

As the comic strip Pogo once famously said: "We have met the enemy, and he is us !"

PROACTIVE TIMES

I have been highly critical of the Ontario Provincial Government recently regarding their "response" to the covid 19 pandemic. They haven't done much right over the last few weeks and months and I've been loud and eager to point out their shortcomings. I have also been expressing my wish for a government to become more "proactive" in their thinking, rather than "reactive", which is what we've been plagued with. I have also challenged many facebook friends with my views and have engaged in somewhat heated debates with them about this topic. Today, I challenged them to become more proactive and think ahead 6 months and come up with ideas to get us safely to the beginning of summer in these "pandemic" times. I have challenged myself as well, and this is my 6 month ( or longer ) proactive view.

1) In 6 months, the pandemic will still be with us. And I believe that we will be preparing for a third wave of covid 19. I can only hope the third wave will be less severe than the second wave, but we can't be certain of this. So, I am going to assume that, as we enter the summer 2021 and head towards fall, we need to plan for a third wave. And, even if a third wave doesn't materialize, we know that there will be a new pandemic just a few years ( decades ? ) away. So this alone makes me proactive. But there's more.

2) There is plenty of empty or even abandonned real estate in Ontario. If a third wave arrives, these spaces should be put to use. We know that Long Term Care ( LTC ) in Ontario has been a disaster ( more about this later ), so these empty buildings should be taken over NOW by the province and renovated/repaired to become new LTC facilities. We also know that our hospitals and especially their ICU's have been overwhelmed by covid patients. We should set aside some of these buildings as exclusively ICU hospitals dealing with covid patients. This will free up our existing hospital spaces for regular patients. Let's get at this NOW instead of waiting for the third wave.

3) LTC has been a gong show. We need to move NOW to remove LTC from private corporations and put them all directly under the control, ownership and supervision of the province. Make them an offshoot of the Ministry of Health. Make all workers at these facilities well trained, well paid professionals who work at ONE facility only. Make sure these workers have all the PPE they need to do their jobs. Remember, I'm thinking of 6 months down the road, but we should do these things NOW. We have failed our elders, and this is a stain on our society. We must fix it, regardless of cost. 

4) Six months from now, the weather will be warmer and the temptation to gather in larger groups for parties, and in bars and restaurants will be stronger. If our numbers of covid infection begin to decline, we still have much to worry about because not enough of these partiers will have been vaccinated against covid 19. Thus, the risk will still be there and the spread will happen, contributing to the third wave I discussed above. NOW is the time for the province to get serious about these large gatherings. Let's discuss enforcement and consequences for those who flagrantly disregard the established protocols. Let's talk about cottagers on the Canada Day weekend, or backyard barbeques, or bush parties. Let's establish tough penalties for those who attend these things. Let's throw people in jail and give them permanent criminal records for offenders. Let's raise fines of businesses who operate in contravention of provincial rules. Let's get tough NOW and then let everyone know what risks they run of they flaunt protocols .... and let's actually DO these tough measures instead of just talk about them.

5) We need to force people to get vaccinated against covid 19. No more talk of making it "optional" and "respecting people's rights" when they refuse the vaccine. We got rid of polio in the 50's and 60's because we forced people to get their children vaccinated. Let's do the same now. In six months, I want to see the majority of the province vaccinated, and those who refuse to vaccinate hit with severe fines and even jail time for this refusal. If they feel that their rights are being violated, they should be reminded that, with rights, comes repsonsibility. Also, if they feel that they are living in a Draconian society, we should encourage them to leave by making their names known so that they become ineligible for education or employment in Ontario. And we should deny them any health coverage under OHIP or other provincial medical insurance programmes. Time to get tough, people.

I humbly submit these for your consideration. These are my efforts at being proactive in the case of covid 19. Now, it's your turn. 

UMPTEEN ATTEMPTS

This is an attempt to see if the platform will conform to my wishes ….. mainly in regards to paragraphing.

I have been unable to create text in paragraphs. Let's see if this works.

COUP D'ETAT IN AMERICA

Donald Trump has successfully convinced 106 Republican members of Congress to support his bizarrely quixotic attempt to overturn the results of the recent US general election. This band of Trumpists are attempting to go back to the Supreme Court in an effort to nullify the election. There is no precedence for this in US history. Their chances of success are small, but the disturbing aspect in all of this is that they are trying to do this at all. American democracy used to be the envy of the world. Past elections were often hotly contested and the results have been disputed in some cases. But, after the disputes had been solved, the great tradition has always been the "peaceful transfer of power." Americans made a public display of this at the Inauguration: the outgoing President was always present to watch over the event and then was seen to gracefully leave the scene to the new incoming administration. Americans had always used this as proof that their democracy worked, and held it as an example to the less democratic corners of the world that this was how democracy was done. It was an impressive and important ceremony. Now, Trump seems bent of destroying this. He must not succeed. As imperfect as the American republican system is, it DOES work. And it works largely because it is SEEN to work. Optics count so much in politics. When the world sees outgoing and incoming Presidents on the same stage, participating in the same ceremony, with one leaving willingly and the other entering with the blessing of the assembled branches of government, they fully understand that a new administration is in charge. But Trump has thrown cold water on the whole proceeding. Other regimes around the world are now free to question the legitimacy of the Biden administration. Yes, the various states have certified his win. But without the ceremony of the "peaceful transfer of power", there will always be the nagging shred of doubt. This will be a nasty burr in the saddle for Biden as he attempts to restore order to the American chaos. It will be difficult for him to overcome this. Thus, Trump will accomplish another major disruption to the American way of life. And that is entirely what he sought to do when he launched his bid to become President back in 2015. He has no interest in actually governing or solving problems. His goal was the furtherance of the Trump brand. And, in defeat, he will continue to do this. To what end ? Nobody actually knows. Least of all, Trump himself. There is a strange personal benefit to him to simply be a headline, a public figure ( whether a significant or comic figure ) to massage his massive and sensitive ego. That's what this is all about. American democracy has survived so many significant things. It is sad that the single thing to completely undermine it, and perhaps destroy it, is a pathetic man's ego.

AMERICA THE BIZARRE

In the days since the election, we have seen the outgoing President bluster about election fraud, recounts, judicial challenges and remaining in office. He has refused to concede to the President-elect. He has refused to begin the process for a smooth transition of power. He has gone on twitter rampages. And his followers and sycophants have done his bidding, lauching lawsuits that have failed, blustering on TV and social media about the impending armageddon when the new administration is sworn in, and trying to physically halt vote counting and intimidate any state politicians who claim their supervision of the election was done properly. None of this is particularly surprising, given the track record of the Trump administration or their supporters. In fact, it was expected. What is surprising, though is the completely silent reaction to all of this on the part of the rest of the country. Trump's constant bombast against the legitimacy of the election results is having at least a small effect on many Americans. It is now being reported that the number of people who are beginning to question the election results is going up. It seems to prove the old axiom that if you tell a lie and then repeat it often enough, it begins to take on the aura of truth, even though it is a falsehood. Why are Americans allowing this to happen ? Why have they not taken to the streets around the White House protesting loudly and vigorously and demanding that the orange madman at least concede ? If there is such a large corps of Americans who truly hate Trump and who voted against him, why are they silently sitting this out ? It would seem that, by doing so, they are increasingly implying consent to the President's tactics. The United States is a strange and unpredictable country. The rest of the world held its breath on election night, and then for the next few days as the vote totals were counted and the Electoral College tallies ticked agonizingly but surely in Biden's favour. America got it right, the world must've thought as Biden finally eked out a win. But he hasn't really won yet. His transition is being held up. He is not getting essential official briefings on security, the economy and, most importantly, on covid-19. The lawsuits, while failing, are still nipping at his heels. He's being hamstrung before his administration has gotten started. It's stillborn. And that has dire consequences. Americans are undoubtedly fatigued by all of this. Trump's administration has been draining. The election was divisive. The pandemic is cutting a wide swath through the population and, once again, overwhelming their chaotic health-care "system." The racial divide, which was a huge factor in the voting, is still a raw wound that will not heal. Or, perhaps, there is something more sinister at work here. Americans have always been fascinated by the raw underbelly of society. They revel in the bizarre, the ugly, the perverse, the violent. They are mesmerized by gangsters, thugs, and fighters. Even when they know it's wrong to root for these creatures, they do it anyway. They love the anti-hero, the gunslinger, the punk. And, in this case, even if they didn't vote for him, they find Trump and his band of troublemakers compelling and entertaining. They don't want the freak-show to stop. They don't want the carnival to end. There's a part of their psychological make-up that is getting an immense jolly out of this. And it will destroy their democracy more surely than if Trump had actually won the election. It's no longer "America the Beautiful" .... it's "America the Bizarre." And it will unfold in all its sordid glory as certainly as the sun will come up tomorrow.