First off, I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend. The kids are having a blast, we can grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers – now that the backyard is back in some kind of semblance of order, and the weather is perfect.
There’s a lot I could say about Memorial Day in principle. Most of my family is/was military. I never joined, and it’s something that has periodically bothered me. I’ve been exploring some reservist options before I age out completely, at the suggestion of Tom Kratman. But aside from all that, well… I’m not a big “this is what this holiday means to me personally” kind of guy. I just hope if you are active duty out in the sticks, or like my brother, stuck in the middle of nowhere doing COVID testing, you can find some rest and fun at some point throughout all this.
COVID continues to be a mess, and arguments over continuing or ending the lockdown have ascended to idiotic status. Most of these people don’t know anything about anything, but a few media buzzwords circulate and they think they are experts. I don’t know how it’s going to go, personally. I continue in a form of semi-lockdown myself, working from home and leaving only rarely. But I am an introvert, and a UI developer. For me, staying away from people is kind of great. Certainly, it’s not much of strain on me. I imagine it is different for others.
As election 2020 approaches, everything is all up in the air. I have no predictions. If COVID is still out in the wild come November, things are going to get messy. There has been a great deal of speculation that voting by mail increases the potential for fraud. Whether or not this is really true, the perception is there, and that could be dangerous. Before COVID, I would have said Trump would probably win. Give him 3-to-1 odds, especially against that doddering old fool, Biden. Really, Democrats? That’s the best you could come up with? Tulsi Gabbard might have had a chance at reconciling some of the tribal madness and appealing to some Trump converts. But Biden? Without this Black Swan event, that was probably a foregone concludion. But COVID and the economic damage mean it’s difficult to make any meaningful prediction, save that it’s going to be a nightmare no matter how it shakes out, probably.
On a more positive note, some of my best author friends are having a Memorial Day sale, and I can vouch for the quality of most of these authors. My friend Hans G. Schantz led the charge, but we also have some of my favorites like Travis Corcoran and L. Jagi Lamplighter. Give it a go and pick up some new reads if you’re interested. My own novel, Eternal Crusade (this title is tentative at the moment) is about 50% complete. At my current speed, I figure it might be done before the end of the year. Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in some excerpts. Also, Terra Nova: Wars of Liberation, containing my short, is now available in paperback form and a lower Kindle price.
It’s also worth noting that as time become difficult for many Americans, I’ve noticed a definite drop off in SJW nonsense. I think even they know that the patience for 59739.5 genders has cratered now that a lot of folks are worrying about whether or not they’ll even have jobs tomorrow. Good times can breed a high degree of political idiocy. Bad times can sometimes restore a little realism. That’s not to say this is a good thing. More like a silver lining in a really nasty storm cloud.
Quarantine: Originated during a real pandemic, the Black Plague. It was considered 40 days because after that time people were coming off of the plague ships one way or another. You can see that today even with todays modern diversions. Besides who’s going to sit still while these power mad types put us on the high speed road to Venezuela?
Where I live in Houghton county Michigan we’ve never had more than one or two active cases at a time but we’ve been locked down as tight as New York. Some of the other Upper Peninsula counties have had zero cases.
Can someone tell me how gardening and power boats on the big lakes promotes the spread of Kung Flu? This is what we have to put up with here.
Fuhrer WHitler seems to be extending the lockdown every time a demonstration that gets national attention happens. Now the lockdown has been extended until June 12 and the state of emergency until June 19.
Our AG is outraged Trump didn’t pose for the cameras in a mask when he toured a Ford plant even though he wore one when he went on the plant floor. She even threatened Ford for not FORCING the President to wear a mask at all times.
In the eighties we had a referendum on becoming a separate state. How I wish it had passed.
I see from your new pool Thales you are weathering the pandemic well with little worries except running out of your favorite whiskey. I really envy you having a Governor who’s not a Fascist.
On the other hand I’m looking forward to your new book. Stay safe and avoid Progressives. It might be contagious.