Almost exactly a year ago I was sitting in the same place I am now. I was planted in front of my computer working on my fourteenth essay in a series that has now reached to forty-two. I reread it before starting this essay. I was curious to see what I had written. It was part memoir of childhood experiences, part family history and part guarded optimism for the future of the United States.
The Covid-19 Pandemic had abated some with the onset of warm weather. Many people were going about their lives as if the virus had gone away and no precautions needed to be taken. In some parts of the country, not wearing a mask was seen as a badge of honor.
The Democrat and Republican National Conventions were just a little over a month away. The wheels of democracy were still turning in spite of the pandemic. A vaccine for Covid was a half a year away. The world was mostly shut down. International travel was blocked. It was an anxious Fourth of July for me and my family. All our plans to get together were on an indefinite hold. Those who did travel outside their “bubble”, did so either in defiance of the current medical advice, ignorance or blind optimism. Most probably did survive though the foundation for a fall surge of infections was being laid.
Now, a year later, as I look around and take stock of what I see in my part of the world, I am cautiously optimistic. The number of new Covid cases has dropped significantly as has the number of Covid related deaths. There are still people being infected and dying and it seems important to not lose sight of this. If someone you love is one of 37 who dies from Covid today, it doesn’t alter the personal pain of the loss.
The United States had an election last November as the pandemic raged throughout the country and world. It chose, as it has for the past 245 years, a President and Vice-President. It was a unique election year with the sitting President continuing to down-play the severity of the pandemic. He continued to hold large rallies in spite of the best scientific advice to the contrary. As a result, the virus probably infected even more people. Then on October 2nd, it was announced that the President had contracted the virus. He was rushed to Walter Reid Hospital and given treatment that only very wealthy citizens could afford. After that, we heard less denial of the pandemic but nothing about taking precautions as simple as wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden conducted his campaign mainly virtually from his home. He was derided by Republicans for “hiding out in his basement”. It’s interesting that a presidential candidate who minimized public exposure to Covid-19 by not holding large rallies was the object of scorn by Republicans while several thousand people a day died from the virus. That is politics I suppose, at least in the Trumpian World of denial of science and polarization of a nation in the midst of the worst pandemic in a hundred years.
There didn’t seem to be anything that Covid-19 didn’t affect in this past year. Deniers of the virus and those taking precautions were both affected. The virus didn’t discriminate, though I suspect and preliminary data suggests, that those who took reasonable precautions were less affected than those who flaunted public health rules. I take no pleasure in knowing the ignorant and defiant died in greater numbers. They were still someone’s loved one. What causes me great sadness is the cavalier attitude of Mr. Trump and his political allies who abdicated their civic responsibility to encourage the public to recognize the seriousness of the pandemic. This stance of denial and minimization of the pandemic surely lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths.
In addition to the denial of the seriousness of the pandemic, a co-morbid pandemic has emerged propagated by Donald Trump and his loyal followers and amplified by so called “news” outlets like Fox News, One America News and Newsmax. This is the pandemic of willful deceit following the Presidential Election. It has infected the social and political life of America and led directly to the shocking attack on our nation’s capital by a mob of Trump supporters bent on overturning the will of the American people. This led to five deaths. It has also consumed vast resources of the Federal Government to find, arrest and prosecute those who tried to take the law into their own hands. These are resources that would normally be utilized to protect America from foreign enemies that seek to harm our Republic.
This willful deceit pandemic has, just like Covid-19, spawned “variants”*
in the form of laws to make voting more difficult, laws to intimidate election officials and laws to make gerrymandering more favorable to Republican candidates. Unchecked, these “variants” will continue to mutate in ways that undermine the health of our democracy just as the virus mutations attempt to circumvent the protection the Covid vaccine provides.
When Al Gore narrowly lost the Presidential election in 2000, there was a recount in Florida, court challenges and ultimately a Supreme Court decision. Senator Gore conceded the election, “for the good of the country”. This has not been the case with Mr. Trump. He has continued to deny that he lost claiming, without any shred of proof, that the election was stolen from him. There is nothing in what he says that is about the good of the nation. It is always and only about Donald Trump and his grievances. This willful deceit has persisted just as Covid-19 has persisted. Its impact, though not physically deadly, threatens the political life of America. It keeps us divided and weakened as a nation. It makes us more vulnerable to aggression, be it physical, diplomatic or cyber, by signaling to our potential and real adversaries an internal weakness. This pandemic of willful deceit, un checked, may turn out in the long run to be far deadlier than Covid-19.
America has survived for two hundred and forty-five years. It has weathered many challenges from within and from outside. So far, the Republic has withstood the assaults on it. It has staggered and bled at times but always managed to get to its feet and right itself. This will hopefully be the case currently and the Republic will achieve 246 years. Historians of the future will be writing about how the country recovered from a devastating pandemic and the willful lies of a narcissistic former president and his self-serving allies. We have a vaccine that is supposedly effective against Covid. What we need now is an antidote to nation-destroying narcissism that pervades our national discourse, prevents us from listening to each other and finding common ground to govern ourselves.
I think back to the times when, as a Boy Scout, I saluted the flag with that funny three finger salute we used. I remember how I felt a certain pride and love for my country though I didn’t as yet, know what all that meant. I still feel it when I see the trooping of the colors** at a Change of Command Ceremony*** at a military installation I am working on or when I hear the National Anthem played at the end of each day.
My prayers on this July 4th, 2021 are for the unruly, diverse, beautiful idea of democracy that at times struggles mightily to fulfill its promise of being, by the people, for the people, one nation under whatever God you do or don’t believe in, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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*Variant: something that differs from a standard or type
**Trooping of the Colors: this is a tradition that dates back to the British army when regimental flags were marched in front of the troops so they could identify where they belonged in the midst of battle. In the U.S. Military, the U.S. flag and unit flags are presented to a formation of service members at the start and ending of official ceremonies.
***Change of Command Ceremony: when a unit in the U.S. military changes commanders, there is a formal ceremony to acknowledge the passing of command from one commander to the next. It is meant to clarify who is now in charge and who has relinquished responsibility of command.
While this essay focuses on Democracy in America, it is important to remember that there are many nations around the world that are democracies. Many of them are struggling with the same forces that attempt to weaken the rights of its citizen in the service of a ruling class. It seems that there are perpetually demagogues who would attempt to play on peoples fears and prejudices through deceit to gain and hold power.
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As always, I encourage you to love the ones you are with and the ones you wish you could be with. Life is short event without a pandemic.
Whack A Mole comes to mind. There's always something festering just beneath the surface. We are living with fits and starts. I'm probably cautiously optimistic now that some of the anxiety from the last year has subsided. Ugliness is not thrown in my face on a daily basis and for that I am grateful.