Knowledge, Not Personal Politics, Is Our Only Effective Weapon Against Coronavirus
Your politicians are not doctors, regardless of your allegiance.
I have something on my mind.
Four more Americans were announced as having died of the Coronavirus in Washington State yesterday, March 2, 2020, marking President Trump’s words from his February 28, 2020 South Carolina rally — equating the virus with a “Democratic hoax” — as something more than simply irresponsible.
The words were politically-expedient, and potentially dangerous for those who downplay the coronavirus as a result.
Specifically, Trump said the following: “We have exposed the far left’s corruption and defeated their sinister schemes and let’s see what happens in the coming months. Let’s watch. Let’s just watch. Very dishonest people. Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, you know that right? Coronavirus, they’re politicizing it.”
Following a minute of comparing the Democrats’ response regarding his handling of the coronavirus to their impeachment efforts and the Russian collusion charges, he continued with this: “They tried anything. They tried it over and over. They’d been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning. They lost. It’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.”
His words echoed Trump Jr.’s earlier diatribe, blaming Democrats for wanting the virus to kill millions of Americans as a strike against his father’s office.
For his part, Mike Pence defended Jr.’s inflammatory comments as “understandable.”
To be clear, though his comments frequently require translation, the President did not appear to call the virus itself a “hoax.” He appeared to refer to the Democratic response to his perceived inaction when the virus became public.
He defended his words the following day: “I was referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody because we’ve done such a good job,” he said.
That clarification aside, did the leader of the free world make the matter any more reassuring to either his followers or his detractors?
For that matter, have the Democrats’ declaratives to his response served a better purpose? After all, candidates appearing on television and slamming Trump over coronavirus has become business as usual, as opposed to an effective reassurance.
Are both entities at fault for politicizing our latest calamity?
Trump is selling the American people that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready “soon,” as early as three months. And yet, he has been repeatedly corrected by high-level health officials on the subject, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, who explained that between testing and distribution the process would realistically take the better part of a year.
Further, some in Trump’s own cabinet are stating the vaccine may not be affordable to all, which is particularly ironic when one considers various announced budget cuts under his leadership to health-related governmental offices.
See here for fact vs. fiction:
This is what we know so far, a consensus of sorts: Not much.
Scientists have ruled out the rumored origin of the virus as caused by the ingestion of bats, said to be a Chinese delicacy.
The bats being diseased was the theory.
There is still much that remains unknown about Coronavirus, despite everyone suddenly being an expert. New cases are announced daily — with no apparent ties to travel or encounters from any particular germ-excessive environment — and the percentage of deaths from diagnosed cases remains alarming.
Countries outside of the U.S. presently have it much worse, and the numbers of those infected are in the tens of thousands.
However, the virus does appear to attack some who subsequently remain healthy and exhibit only moderate symptoms.
Regardless, it’s scary as hell out there; that much most of us can agree on.
For me, I’m not stopping my life. I’m being smart in as much as I can, but I’m still living.
I recommend it.
Follow the news, disseminate whatever information you can, but understand this is all a process. We still don’t know how far this virus will take us.
What has been largely agreed-upon is store-bought face masks don’t work. Don’t be taken.
I would especially recommend not solely counting on your politicians either, regardless of side, at this moment. Tune in to the science, speak to doctors.
But don’t stop living.
We are not yet at dystopia levels.
Perspective: The flu kills. Cancer kills. Heart attacks can happen anytime, as can being hit by a car or a bus.
Live, people. And not in fear.
If you are not yet afflicted, for example, do you spend your day-to-day fearfully waiting to be stricken by heart failure?
If the coronavirus is truly on its way to becoming untenable, or uncontrollable, I loathe to say it but let’s deal in that reality when it happens.
Is it on its way now? Things look dark, but not hopeless.
SARS, AIDS, MERS … we’ve been there. We’ll be there again.
Science is a funny thing. We’ve won every time. If our science has not been able to defeat or eradicate certain calamities, in time we’ve been able to manage them.
Stay attuned, be smart, be aware.
But don’t give in and lose hope.
We’re not there yet.
And finally, once more … use discretion when it comes to listening to your politicians.
This most recent politically-expedient fear tactic from the President of the United States, during a 3–2–20 rally in North Carolina, is unacceptable under any circumstance: “There are fringe globalists who would rather keep our borders open than keep out infection. Think of that, keep all of the infection, let it come in.”
Nonsense which helps no one.
Democrats are correct to call out such potentially injurious behavior, as are members of any other political group, but pounding this garbage home at the expense of other issues may be well-intended but runs the risk of being disingenuous.
Regardless of side, few of our elected officials can seem to help themselves.
Welcome to 21st century politics as usual.
Electing science-friendly politicians is prudent. Vote #2020 … but don’t ever expect a dentist to fix your foot pain.
It’s a simplistic analogy, but it fits within the big picture.
With that, my mini-rant is over.
Thank you for reading.
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