–Of course the big news last week was the massive rollout of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, and with the exception of several hiccups in Alaska things proceeded favorably. Two health care workers in Alaska had an allergic reaction, but both recovered fairly quickly and reported no additional problems. The Moderna vaccine also is likely to get the green light from the FDA very soon. The most often repeated phrase last week was the following: “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” But most agreed that it’s a very long tunnel, and the CDC is continuing to urge people to avoid traveling and to keep wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
–AN OPEN LETTER TO DONALD R. TRUMP:
Do the following words ring a bell?
“Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.”
In the wake of your bitter, embarrassing, and childish behavior after losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden, it’s difficult to believe that you were capable of uttering such a magnanimous statement about the outgoing president and first lady. But you did. Now, where will you be on Jan. 20? Certainly not back on those same steps because you have demonstrated clearly that you don’t really believe in “the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.”
Here’s another reminder of something you said in your inaugural speech.
“Today’s ceremony, however, has a very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the American People.
“January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.”
Apparently you haven’t yet recalled those words because the people spoke loudly by giving President-elect Biden in excess of 7 million more votes than they gave you, and the same people gave him 72 more electoral college votes than they gave you.
These are the same people whom you made “the rulers of this nation again” on Jan. 20, 2017.
It’s time for you to admit the people have spoken. And stay away from those steps in January.
Sincerely,
The People
–Earlier this year the Washington Redskins of the NFL finally succumbed to the pressure and did away with the nickname they have been using since 1937. Throughout the years Native Americans have complained that “Redskins” carries with it a derogatory connotation, and the brass of the football team finally capitulated and agreed to change the team’s nickname. So what’s the incredibly original new moniker? It’s “The Washington Football Team.” That must have seemed a bit long to put on the side of a helmet, so now the players’ numbers are the new helmet logos. And following in what may become a trend the Cleveland major league baseball team several years ago dropped the Chief Wahoo logo and more recently did away with the Indians nickname that originated in 1917. The team has yet to adopt a new name, but let’s hope it’s a bit more original than “The Cleveland Major League Baseball Club.” Try getting all of that on the front of a cap. Now some of the most controversial sports teams’ names remaining are the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), the Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), the Bristol Aztecs (BAFL), the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL), the Atlanta Braves (MLB), and the Florida State Seminoles (CFB). There are others, but these seem to be the most egregious ones right now.
–Certainly the death toll from the pandemic both in this country and worldwide is beyond horrific. I absolutely cannot imagine being one of the families that lost loved ones to the disease. On the other hand, I often wonder whether some people deserve to live. I am an animal lover, and while I love all of them, I am especially partial to dogs. Thus when I hear or see a story about animal cruelty, I become outraged. Recently I saw the account of a woman who was staying in a Motel 6 in Daytona, Fla., and she attacked the maid there and then threatened to jump from the second-floor balcony. When police arrived at the scene, she was locked in her room, but when she finally emerged, she had a leashed German shepherd beside her, and before police could react, she picked up the dog and threw her over the balcony. Amazingly, the dog did a perfect impersonation of a cat and landed on her feet in the parking lot below. The woman was charged with animal cruelty, and, with the exception of a sewing needle that was removed from her thigh, the dog was uninjured. She is currently under the care of the Volusia County Animal Services, where she has been named Miracle. I don’t know what the penalty is for animal cruelty in Volusia County, but whatever it is, I’ll bet it’s not enough.
—Ponder this: If blind people wear dark glasses, why don’t deaf people wear earmuffs? ~George Carlin
