Racism Thoughts

 

 “Our new government is founded…upon the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery…is his natural and moral condition.”- an excerpt from a speech by confederate Alexander Stephens, vice president to Jefferson Davis, at the beginning of the civil war. This quote is from the book “THESE TRUTHS” by historian Jill Lepore.      

   Unfortunately and depressingly, the founding of our nation is rooted in unconscionable moral depravity which is still alive and well in the hearts of many. While visiting the memorial park at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, sight of police brutality against civil rights protesters on March 7^th, 1965, I met one of the marchers who proudly showed me a scar on his forehead where he had been clubbed by a policeman all those years ago. He told me that the week before my visit someone had placed confederate flags all over the park. I told him that I felt like I had to apologize for the entire white race.

   Regardless of the wonderful progress that has been made in civil rights, it is clear that some persons would prefer that things remain as they were. Empathy and consideration for blacks is not at the forefront of their thoughts. Rather, tribalism and narrow beliefs overshadow any larger sense of unity. This fundamental division in people’s moral sense of right and wrong is the reason that families split apart and brother fought brother during the civil war, and it is the cause of so much bigotry today. Back then, martyr John Browns failure to start an uprising across the south during his attack on Harpers Ferry caused Robert E. Lee to label him a “fanatic or a madman.” At his trial before being hanged, Brown said “If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and the blood of millions in this slave country, whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit.”

   As a white male I am well aware of my white privilege. I have been privy to some of the conversations in the boys club of men in power. They were talking about their favoring of men over women when considering corporate advancement, but I suspect that anyone who would so dismiss an entire gender for the sake of business would discriminate against blacks if given the choice. Still, I do not know how to change the hearts of men, and fear it is as trying to change human nature. Black people themselves sometimes judge one another by the darkness of their skin, although that may be an ingrained reaction against trying to survive in a white dominated world. If it is not skin color corrupting moral integrity, it is religion, or money, or some other manufactured reason humans discriminate against one another. In that regard human beings are a woefully immature species.

     I shall be on the streets if nothing changes, and I pray that wiser people than our present leaders will prevail and that genuine progress will arise from the present protests. When whites can recognize that it is not them who are being choked and shot in the back by police, and admit that the acquittal of O.J. Simpson by a mostly black jury was a predictable retribution by a victimized people, then we can move forward.  POSTSCRIPT: The book is a detailed explanation by a career law enforcement black man of how police and societal systems in this country are dysfunctional and why the 'Black Lives Matter' movement is so important. It was written in 2018 before George Floyd's murder in 2020 awakened white people to the decades long injustices.

   

May

  After snow and snow showers for much of April and May, with occasional warmer days in between, the coldest May on record  locally is finally breaking into a more seasonal pattern. Snow on the 9th has become 60*F with trillium blooming in the woods. That oil rig sits idle in the middle of nowhere on a mountain top, probably halted because of the drop in oil prices. I'm not sure what will become of fossil fuels, but I suspect that a lot of people are hungry to resume their wasteful ways, so I wouldn't write oil off just yet. At the very least countries like Saudi Arabia are going through some difficult times, and the entire Middle East needs to diversify its economy to avoid even more instability.
    The virus is beginning to test everyone's patience, so the economy is slowly reopening regardless of the pandemic. With a lag time of 2-3 weeks we shall see if the disease re-spikes by mid June. One of Mr. Trumps few wise utterances a month ago is that we have to be careful that the "cure" (shutting down) is not worse than the disease. It seems as though some people are reaching the point that they Need to work and Have to take their chances of getting sick. Regardless, the federal, state, and local governments cannot keep spending money without some genuine productivity.

Virus Thoughts

     While I was roaming around the south in February and heard about the corona virus, I dismissed the public reaction as overblown, assuming that it was essentially a flu like illness mostly dangerous to the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. That assessment is generally true, for apparently it is people with diabetes, heart, renal or lung problems, and those over 70years old who are most susceptible. Of course some younger people have died, and nationwide obesity has been a precursor of the above health conditions, so it has become a more serious disease than at first projected.

      In Colorado on March 13^th Beth and I first witnessed the panic buying of toilet paper, which confused us because the disease is primarily respiratory rather than intestinal, but we assumed that people were following some ignorant comment that they had read on Facebook or Twitter. Heading home we realized that such behavior was common nationwide as the pandemic had progressed, although more rational people have begun sewing masks and volunteering at food banks and doing other more positive things. 

       There is enough misinformation and disinformation and uncertainty regarding this pandemic that I do not believe anyone knows how it will all turn out, but I have no doubt that the country and the world will survive. With a 2% death rate, even if everyone in the world became infected there would remain some 6.4 billion people. Not much solace for those affected but definitely not the end of the human species. That assumes that the majorities of people would remain civil and turn to compassion rather than panic and selfishness. After seeing people fight over toilet paper I see that the mindset of the doomsday survivalists is based on hoarding guns and supplies to survive at any cost, not on generosity and compassion towards ones neighbors. When the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, claimed that he did not know about the asymptomatic transmission of the virus despite widespread knowledge being disseminated for at least a month, it is clear that some people in power- Governors and religious leaders- continue to deny science and facts. By contrast, the leading virologist in South Korea recommended masks and testing and social isolation immediately after the disease emerged, and now that country has had a much less deadly outbreak, so reality and science Do matter more than political posturing and denial and procrastination.

        Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to be the most rational and productive leader in all this, and he is dealing with the most serious outbreak up to this date (April 5^th). It is dis- heartening but not surprising that he is being criticized by people like Sean Hannity, who want Cuomo to allow the use of hydroxychloroquine despite minimal evidence that it actually works for Covid 19, and that it has potentially serious side effects. Should sick people be allowed to choose? Perhaps, but once again, science and facts are our best defense and offense against any disease- not the ramblings of a former general contractor who has spread bogus conspiracy theories in the past.

          At the very least this virus has illuminated the deficiencies in our preparedness for such an outbreak despite years of warnings by Bill Gates and others. Besides ignoring warnings, politicians and businessmen have been sending the manufacture of critical supplies to Chins for decades. Fortunately, Mr. Gates has committed the resources of his foundation to accelerating vaccine production. Because the Chinese had already sequenced and publicized the genetic code of this coronovirus back in January, and because of previous work done on similar viruses, there are some human trials beginning among several companies. Will they all work? No, but assuring the efficacy and safety of vaccines ( or anti viral medications) takes time, so even 12-18 months is a very short time span as far as vaccine production goes. This is how science will prevail, and why facts and patience and compassion are so essential in the meantime.
       Science writer Sonia Shaw-who has written extensively about pandemics past and present-presently has an informative TED talk on video. Anyone wishing to be genuinely educated should watch it. She mentions many factors influencing our present situation, one of which is a research program headed by virologist Peter Dazsak ( the Eco Health Alliance) that  follows microbes emerging from the wild. Scientists literally study animal borne microbes to observe which ones are mutating, then take steps to help prevent the final mutation from jumping to humans. Mr. Dazsaks research has been fundamental in developing the drug Remdesivir that has shown to be effective against some coronoviruses. Mr. Trump reduced the funding to that program last year. Another truth Ms. Shaw mentions is that we are only a few years and prayers away from an antibiotic resistant bacterium causing a much more persistent and deadly pandemic than Covid 19. Will Americans heed the warning and be better prepared before the next outbreak?

POSTSCRIPT: In Spring 2020 Peter Dazsak and other scientists were fundamental in trying to suppress the 'lab-leak' theory and only in 2021 have the self preservation efforts of him and the state department and the administration to suppress the truth of the viruses origins been revealed. It turns out that the American government had funded the Eco Health Alliance for years which then sent some of that money to a Chinese lab which studies viruses. The  bio hazard precautions of that Chinese  lab were more lax than many American labs would have employed. This is normal in the ongoing way scientists around the world cooperate to advance knowledge on viruses and other things.But in 2012 miners shoveling bat guano in a cave in southern China became sick and a few died with a Covid 2 type disease. The Chinese government has suppressed the release of the full genomes of all the viruses from that time, but it is probable the Wuhan lab-in conjunction with the Chinese military- was involved in studying the coronavirus which killed the miners, as well as other viruses. So American taxpayer money was involved in the ongoing scientific study of the viruses in the Chinese lab, which is not uncommon, although the lack of transparency by the Chinese government has corrupted the investigation as to whether the virus was from the original bat guano or has been modified since 2012. It seems likely that the bat virus-or some modified version- infected some lab workers and quickly spread to the city of Wuhan, then the world.

Winter Van Trip

   Beth and I returned from our journey south a couple weeks ago, and the highlight of the sightseeing was Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico and Great Sand Dunes National park in southern Colorado. I had been touring around the south east for a month before meeting Beth in Austin, after which we continued west. We were in this campground in New Mexico( Bottomless Lake State Park) on March 12th when the ranger came around and notified everyone that all state parks in N. M. were closing because of the corona virus. That altered our plans to meander so we headed north to Colorado and eventually had to head straight home when all parks and most businesses started closing. For anyone who has not seen the western landscape, it is thousands of miles of flat, open, dry scrub terrain filled with massive ranches in an even more massive wasteland. To some states credit, energy producers have utilized the open land for windmills and solar power farms, and Texas was notable for having solar, wind and oil/gas production side by side. Texas also has the best roads in the nation, although not the best signage; not everyone uses GPS so clear road signs would have been appreciated. Louisiana has the worst roads, a few of which, although macadam, were so rough that I refused to take the van on them lest I shake loose every bolt on the chassis. I had to have the front wheel bearings replaced in Oklahoma, but found an honest shop and mechanic in Hugo, Oklahoma who had me back on the road in less than 24 hours. Thanks Superior Wheel and Tire...
        To alleviate the cramped quarters Beth and I stayed in a motel a few times, but otherwise utilized campgrounds and Walmarts for sleeping. We toured Waco, TX and the Magnolia Silos soon after meeting up, and residents there told us that Chip and Joanna Gaines are as down to earth as their TV show indicates; the tourism that Fixer Upper has generated continues to revitalize the town. On reflection, we both marvel over this extremely diverse nation, and sometimes it is hard to remember that we are all one people, so varied are the cultures and landscapes. It truly is Americas genius that we share the same overriding Constitutional principles. Beth and I have many more places to visit-with the van or otherwise- such as Yellowstone, Glacier, and Rocky Mt National Parks, plus the hundreds of lesser known but just as remarkable places we seem to stumble upon each time we travel.

Loleta Recreation Site

   I walked here for the first time a few days before Christmas... It is another one of the CCC projects done in the 1930's to give people work. This one near Marienville features a dam and some other buildings with the marvelous stone and woodwork common to most of these projects. There is also a campground and a few hiking trails, although this particular one was designed mostly for day use and swimming. The footprints are where coyotes were sniffing and scratching the ground for reasons unknown to me; there were several of these print clusters in this area but no evidence of a kill or other food.

If You Want Genuine Facts

 Visit this website:                      https://ourworldindata.org

                    or read Stephen Pinkers book "Enlightenment"



 It will help cut through the lies and distortions, deliberate and otherwise, from the government and media and Facebook. etc etc  Science and Truth do matter, and both have been very beneficial in improving the state of humanity over the past few centuries. Contrary to popular belief, people today have it VERY good compared to our ancestors in almost every nation and location..We are healthier, freer, safer, richer, longer lived and better off in almost any way you can name... Chronic cynics and pessimists are misinformed. Of course, problems remain in the world in many places, but we have to appreciate our good fortune as well. As for the future, with climate change and overpopulation and the potential for world war or pandemics...time will tell.

Hunting Season

   I spent a couple hours driving around the forest today looking at the hunters as they finish up black bear and small game season and prepare for the deer season that starts tomorrow in Pennsylvania. In the coming weeks the local newspaper will have pictures of  hunters holding the carcasses, so it is a  poular activity for many people in Warren County and a rite of passage for their children. This is an area of the country that Clinton labeled the home of "deplorables" and which Obama characterized as "clinging to their bibles and guns" -both descriptions that have a measure of truth but which are so stereotypical that it is no wonder the people here felt offended to the point of voting for Trump. The voter registration locally is 2 to 1 Republican, and no amount of discussion will get the latter to understand the attitudes of the East coast any more than most people in that part of the country understand pictures of dead deer in a newspaper article.
   I know a married couple here who changed churches ( Episcopalian to Catholic ) because the former was going to allow female pastors and homosexuals to join the church. The husband  commented that "women working outside the house contributed to the downfall of society." A friend of this couple subscribed to the conspiracy theories that Michelle Obama was a man and that Hillary Clinton had a sex trafficking ring. Hard to have an intelligent conversation with such people, but I assure you that they do exist and are totally serious about their views. Counterarguments such as Catholic priests were abusing children- a much more serious truth than being female or homosexual-  do not seem to matter to such people. That is, No amount of facts or logic will dissuade them from their preferred attitude. Because I have lived in both places and have heard both sides, I generally find some attitudes around here despicable and not well reasoned, but I also know that these people are not evil monsters; they simply have conservative, often Christian based views that are hypocritical if examined too closely-which often they are not.
    The hunters who are gathering tonight in the many small camps that dot the forest will drink and talk in anticipation of the hunt, and for many of them that will be the best part of the weekend. They will mock the hypocrisy of anti- hunting critics who eat meat, and cherish the freezer of venison they obtain if they are successful. It really is different worlds within one country, but the humanity is the same. Everyone laughs and cries and gets sick and has children and argues politics; we simply experience it in different places....But there is no doubt that there are irreconcilable differences, such as the violent racism supported by some people, that must be suppressed by strict laws if our democratic society is to survive. I truly believe that some form of national service after high school-a year or two where people from across the nation got together to do work for the public good-would go a long way to healing our divisions.