I haven't written regularly in a journal for years, though I used to. I have very rarely looked back at my old journals, which I think contributes to my wandering away from the habit. I don't read them, and I have never shared them, so maybe there's no point to recording anything. Maybe.
There's a lot going on in the world now. We are still in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, about to cross the threshold of 1,000,000 dead in the world, according to many sources. The one I look at most, Worldometers, says we crossed that threshold a day or so ago.
Sadly, the United States is the top producer of infections and deaths, though the daily numbers are no longer at their peak. They are high enough be disturbing. The most powerful country in the world, with the largest economy, has the worst record in dealing with the pandemic of any advanced nation. Our president is still down-playing the seriousness of the pandemic, lying about the numbers and dismissing all the dead in what he refers to as "blue states". Ohio is still lingering around a thousand new cases and twenty deaths per day. I would like to say that our Republican governor followed the science and managed the pandemic better than many, but, while he seemed to start off well, he yielded to the lobbyists and opened the state too soon and too quickly, leaving us with a slow spread through the community, still dealing with some restrictions, and those who understand the disease following safe practices, while others defy the recommendations and prolong the suffering through what now seems like willful ignorance and complete disregard for the health and safety of the rest of the people.
We are deep into the election season now, and so many things have happened, it is not possible to discuss them all in one post. The first presidential debate is tomorrow. Donald Trump and his campaign and supporters have spent the summer spreading lies that Joe Biden is mentally unfit. There were memes circulating that Biden would refuse to debate. Now that the debate has arrived, Trump is frantically shouting that Biden has all the advantages of experience and practice, trying to reverse the low expectations he has tried all summer to create for Biden. Well, okay, he wasn't trying to create low expectation; he was trying to convince people that Biden was suffering dementia and unfit to be president, which I think a lot of people have bought into, from the memes circulating in social media and the responses in polls. Now, Biden will appear in public, as he did in the Democratic National Convention, and everyone will see that he is clearly of sound mind, and Trump will have little to say in response.
Many Trump supporters are saying they look forward to Trump "kicking Biden's ass" is the debate. Republican operatives, Trump spokespeople, and Trump himself are now trying to raise expectations for Biden, as they now fear a strong performance by Biden will undermine everything they have said for the past year about him. It should, but Trump supporters are not known for rational thought in the face of evidence.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg did of cancer a week ago, and Trump and the Republican in the Senate are already preparing for the confirmation process, giving the lie to their claims of principle is the blatant partisan power grab of 2016, when they refused to consider President Obama's nomination to replace Justice Scalia. Their actions have shown that Senate Republican do not operate under any principles, but only for partisan gain, which is a sad state of affairs, but has been obvious for years, including their unquestioning support of Donal Trump despite all the evidence that he has no ethics or morals. Prior to this current proceeding, in which Republicans are making up new excuses for crass partisanship, they voted to confirm Justice Kavanaugh despite the evidence he made false and misleading statements in his confirmation hearings, and voted to acquit Donald Trump after he was impeached, despite the clear and overwhelming evidence of his guilt.
Trump has said he can only lose if the election is rigged against him. His supporters seem to believe him, despite the polls, which clearly show him losing badly, both in the popular vote and the Electoral College. Trump has said he will not accept a result other than victory for himself. He seems to be desperate to stay in the presidency, probably because he fears indictment and prosecution for his many crimes once he is no longer in the seat of power. He should fear. His list of obvious crimes is long and serious.
The New York Times just released details of Trump's tax returns for around 18 years. They make Trump look like a loser. Literally. His businesses are losing millions every years, and he has hundreds of millions in debt coming due in the next four years. He may also be guilty of tax evasion. Another set of investigations to work through. Why couldn't everyone see what an incompetent and dishonest man he is?
