Stewart Myrent

I have no plans, right now, to bring up any sad & disheartening info about the current Covid pandemic, but, rather, would like to mention the disgusting & dispiriting things that are going on in cities throughout the U.S.  I hope I am not violating any strictures against political speech on the Message Forum, but, to me, it doesn't make any difference if you're liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, pro-Trump or anti-Trump - as, it seems to me, this is really an issue about being a relatively normal person & issues of equality & fair play, which this country has ALWAYS stated it stands for.  I don't know if any of you have ever thought about being a black person in America, but I have considered it several times & every time I consider what my life would have been like, if I had been born a black man in this country, instead of being a white man - an accident of birth - my life would have been totally different, and not just for several months, but for EVERY SINGLE day of my life.   Or, worse yet, if I had been born in Germany, instead of the U.S., & had been born 5 yrs. earlier, in 1942, instead of in 1947, my life (if it was as long) would have been totally different.  So, it seems very strange to me, that I even know who George Floyd is.  I never met him, although I did live in the Twin Cities area in the early 70s.  Anyone who has seen the footage of George Floyd's encounter with the Minneapolis police (footage shot by a bystander), would have to realize that it's not a normal way for a person to die.  (BTW, it was discovered because the bystander had a smart phone w/camera - it does make one wonder how many of these terrible deaths have occurred when no one was there to record it, or before there were phone cameras.)  I thought it was fascinating, that the original autopsy report stated that Floyd died because of other illnesses (like heart & breathing problems) & only after his family paid for a separate & independent autopsy, was it discovered that he died from external forces on his body & a broken hyoid bone in his throat.  What I thought, was that I couldn't imagine myself dying in a similar manner (death by cop), as I am a white man in this country & I couldn't imagine myself being treated similarly by any police officer, anywhere.  I heard a discussion earlier today, about "white privilege" & I'm pretty sure I never thought about it before, but it obviously exists.  I don't recall us having ANY black classmates (if I'm wrong about that, please correct me), but perhaps, if we did, we might have a somewhat stronger appreciation of what it means to be black in this country.  I would be very interested in any feedback on this, from any of our well-educated Class of '64.  I'm sorry, as I'm pretty sure that dealing with the Covid pandemic is enough for all of us to deal with.  But, how would you like to have to deal with the pandemic AND be black?  Doesn't sound like fun to me.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Are we listening?  
It is not enough for us to know,
it is important to feel and understand.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

In the ranks of police there are some reaching out to protestors to be part of the solution in a country that needs healing.

Unidentified troops are patrolling DC protests.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."

Stewart Myrent

This is an addendum to my post of several days ago, talking about the death of George Floyd & stating that, "I couldn't imagine myself being treated similarly, by any cop, anywhere."  But then, I saw yesterday that an elderly 75-year old man (older than all of us - & there at the site to peacefully protest) was pushed to the ground in Buffalo, NY, by police & fell backward to the ground, cracking the back of his head on the pavement & needing to be hospitalized for serious injuries.  I did see today that the 3 officers involved, have all been charged with assault.  So, I just wanted to mention that I was obviously wrong - thinking that my advanced age might protect me from the same disaster that befell George Floyd.  It seems that our elderly brother will survive his encounter with the police & will not suffer the same fate as George Floyd, but, frankly, in that regard, he is way luckier than George Floyd, who has 0 tomorrows to look forward to. I thought the past 73 yrs. that I was living in an extremely civilized country, but now I have grave concerns about my fantasies.  Hope everyone is well!

Alan A. Alop

Right on brother Stewart!

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake."

-- Frederick Douglass

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

We may be tired of the coronavirus,
but the coronavirus is not tired of us, 
and it's not taking the summer off.

"We're all on the same boat."
The numbers of infected are surging.  
The hospitalization numbers are reliable, lab tests confirm the diagnosis.

Why are fewer and fewer people wearing a mask?

Stewart Myrent

I am very happy to report that I was able to return the book, "Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving", by Mo Rocca, to the local library today, after completing it over 2 mos. ago.  I also picked up 2 new books, which shall remain nameless, as, once again, I do not want to violate any strictures against political speech on our Message Forum. I'm so happy to have new reading material.  I returned the Rocca book at the drive-thru book return, then drove to the front of the library, where they had 3 parking spaces for pick-up, called the library to tell them I was there & waited for a library employee to put the books in my open trunk & then closed the trunk, as they do not allow employees to close the trunk.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Kennedy Mitchum is "super happy" - her efforts feel like a "step in a good direction for a lot of positive change for a lot of different positive conversations that can really help change the world and helps change how people view things."

After being told, "that's not what the dictionary says,"
Kennedy Mitchum wrote to the publishers of Merriam-Webster to tell them "racism is more than just disliking someone because of their race."  
Much to her surprise, she received a response the very next morning.
She kept explaining that the "way racism occurs in real life is not just prejudice; it's the systemic racism that is happening for a lot of Black Americans."
After a few more exchanges, Merriam-Webster's editorial staff agreed that "because people often turn to the dictionary to gain a more nuanced view of the way a word is being used in a particular context a revision to the entry for racism is now being drafted."

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

It's inevitable that the meaning we give words changes and develops over time.  
The dictionary story about the definition of racism helps me realize how important honest and open conversation is to come to grips with inherent systemic racism. If even the dictionary definition of racism is recognized to be inadequate, think how far-reaching change need be to make equality a reality in America.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"We report,
          you decide."  
Why not re-open AND wear masks?  
Testing and contact tracing are difficult, but essential - decision makers need the data to guide informed decisions.  
Why is the media being blamed for peddling a false narrative?  
Why is the pandemic a political issue?  
The coronavirus does not pay attention to policy or rhetoric.
The pandemic is not fading away,
people are dying, not the coronavirus.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Where is our sense of urgency?

The numbers don't lie. People are dying.  
If we aren't listening to public health officials,
who are we listening to?

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

June 19, 1865, Juneteenth

Cellphones have forced us to see truth in real time.   
We have seen a reality we would not accept for ourselves.

Everybody wins in a just society.

I studied American history in high school and college. I have read books about our history.  
This is the first time I have heard about the terror in Tulsa in 1921 - an unprovoked attack by white people on a community of accomplished blacks.  
More than 300 black people were killed, thousands were displaced, and their community was looted and burned to the ground.  
Was anyone apprehended and punished?
Police were part of the mob that destroyed the black neighborhood.
Imagine if a white neighborhood had suffered such violence.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Who are we listening to?

We should be listening to doctors first & last,

listening to medical facts during a pandemic.

Why are we praising politicians who repeat what doctors tell us?

No way politicians should silence doctors about covid-19.

Doctors have 1st amendment rights too.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Happy Father's Day to all dads.

Stewart Myrent

On behalf of all the Dads & Grandpas - thanks for the Father's Day wishes.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

To the powers that be:
Speed up the testing!  
We need 10 times more testing!  
Listen to the public health officials.  
We need thoughtful management of the coronavirus.  
We must stay the course:
washing hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Peace is the presence of justice.

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"Que sera, sera" - "whatever will be, will be" seems to be the attitude in America in regard to COVID-19. The denial advanced by our CIC is the coronavirus' best friend. Federal funding is being pulled from testing sites.

We all want a cure but in the meantime we have to care.  
It is no surprise that COVID-19 is spiraling out of control in America.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Baseball is back!

teams are working to figure out how to deal with covid-19 - as covid-19 is surging and infecting our youth.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

There are Americans fighting to protect Confederate monuments and statues.

Last night two progressive statues were torn down from their pedestals in Madison, Wisconsin.

Statues are objects... why are we clinging to replicas of white icons, Confederate or progressive?

Black people are being killed. They are not replicas. They are human beings their families and friends are not able to replace.

There are people who seem more concerned about inanimate objects - whether they be Confederate or progressive monuments and statues - than they are about human life.

The sense of superiority on either side does nothing to advance race relations in the U.S. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Denial is NOT a strategy.

We are living in a humanitarian tragedy.

Today is the highest single day of new covid-19 cases in the U.S.

Why are we not meeting this challenge?

It's not  hot  spots popping up needing attention,

we're facing a raging pandemic.

Is now the time for the return of professional sports?

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"Something's not working."

The spread of covid-19 is way worse than we imagined.

We are in an unmitigated public health disaster.

Covid-19 is not being contained, it's accelerating.

How are we going to move forward?

Testing reveals cases of covid-19; there are NOT more cases because of testing.  
Testing does NOT generate cases of covid-19.

With covid-19 surging, how can we possibly have enough contact tracers to follow up to stop the spread?

We can be part of the problem, or part of the solution. Our focus should be on saving lives.

Despite our different attitudes, it is imperative that we recognize we are interconnected and part of a process with societal responsibility.

We need to extinguish the spread.