Read chapter 1 here
From the start, I’ve taken an evenhanded approach to this latest worldwide threat, following my own advice: “Let’s not get in a panic over the coronavirus. It’s best to keep things in perspective”.
There are, for example plenty of other ways for us to die prematurely.
And luckily for me, Worldometer – my favorite website of late – keeps a regularly updated tally of year-to-date deaths by cause in the United States. (OK, you can probably make a case that I’m being morbid here.)
In one of Trump’s most recent misinformation talking point, he references the “corona flu”, as if this highly contagious virus is just a variation of the current seasonal flu. What he overlooks is that a vaccine is available to protect us, which JoAnna and I have received for at least the past 10 years. There is no vaccine for coronavirus, and Trump’s discrediting of science notwithstanding, it will take months, if not more than a year, of research and testing before one is widely available. So while the number of fatalities is miniscule compared to people dying of cancer, the coronavirus is already causing an outsized disruptions to the stock market, travel industry, public gatherings, and the manufacturer of Purell. It may not be killing that many people – yet – but it does have the potential to create a wide swath of misery.
Just last week, Donald Trump, eager to pat himself and his administration on the back, suggested the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. would soon be ‘close to zero’. At which point, I welcomed the birth of a new Retiring Guy’s blogpost series, daily
updates of the cumulative number of cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. With more testing being done, the number of cases couldn’t have possibly gone down. But Trump
being Trump, he says whatever pops into his head, including pointing a finger at Obama, as the New York Times reported yesterday.
It was not entirely clear what he was referring to. Health experts and veterans of the government during Mr. Obama’s presidency said they were unaware of any policy or rule changes during the last administration that would have affected the way the Food and Drug Administration approved tests during the current crisis. Moreover, if there were, Mr. Trump did not explain why his administration did not change the rules during its first three years in office.
It’s the Fox News version of the news: Makin’ stuff up as you go along. To me, the scariest thing has nothing to do with the coronavirus but that, more than 3 years in office, Trump has a 43% approval rating.
I frequently take a satirical approach then blogging about all things Trump. A few days ago, the ‘stack’ of headline you see here was accompanied by the title, “Hey, Mike Pence. How’s that coronavirus messaging stacking up?” I also posted the headline with a brief comment on Facebook.
At the same time that Trump put Pence in charge of the administration’s
coronavirus response, the media reported that all messaging will go through Pence’s office. Clearly, this directive doesn’t include Trump himself.
Among the comments was this one from my wife JoAnna’s brother.
Uh, Larry, I said to myself. I was just funnin’ around. ‘Stacking up’? Get it? Seems like you’re the one who’s getting bent out of shape.
I contented myself with a straightforward response: Not flippin’ out. Just amused.
Then JoAnna’s full-on Republican cousin Mick chimed in with a comment that laid waste to the head of the World Health Organization, calling him a ‘dictator’ and proclaiming ,‘I wouldn’t trust anything out of that organization” and ‘the death rate will be much lower’.
I betcha I know where he got that intel, I thought.
Sure enough, a quick search informed me that Fox News has been on a rampage against WHO. Sample: Marc Siegel slams ‘bunch of alarmists’ at World Health Organization: ‘They always overstate the problem’. (Siegel is Fox News medical correspondent, a designation that should probably be placed within quotation marks.)
I replied to his comment with what was intended as shade: Hmm… -- following by a link to the article.
Too subtle. He seemed to think my sending him the article was an expression of agreement. I had anticipated a more astute response. He has a degree in engineering, after all. I decided to let it go and not use my intended follow-up.
As in spoon-fed.
Read chapter 3 here
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