A Response

A Response to our American Pandemic:

I think, if I am correct, federal government cannot just come in and order states what to do - that is unAmerican. They can only hold onto a thinly disguise constitution which conflicts between state rights and federal rights, Conservatives allow more state rights and so they cannot intervene, and the only thing the Feds can do is to stockpile for themselves -exactly what they are doing. taking n95 masks and so we cannot access these that are being manufactured in America.

Americans also believe in competition, and freedom to do so. All states are now competing to show the world which states program is best. So there is no unified responses.

I would urge people not just to blame this administration but to look at their own Americaness deeply. Is it "liberty and the pursue of happiness" that is responsible for our pandemic - and I think it is. American system is inherently unstable and weak and cannot formulate a unified response when something like this happens, Another words, American system is weak and chaotic when it comes to a level extinction event. They do not have a strong central government, but they have a white house pulpit and a voice, and seems only a voice, no action,.

And our frustration is that as a company/enterprise, they have a bottom line - stock market - and selfish interests, instead of altruism and a desire to see others do well. This American competitiveness between states, and between rich and poor, and even between businesses and people - is exactly what will kill us all. Competition at a time of natural disaster is a false premise to maintain a free and open society.

What good would it do, if we stock up on guns and food, should our American society collapse? And it is coming.

Society is collapsing.

Instead of worrying about a "totalitarian" state sch as China, we should look at how an open society kills her residents through irresponsible acts: first to do nothing. and then for those healthcare professionals, they try to kill them by forbidding them to wear protective gears (somethings rip their n95 masks off their faces - and threaten them to fire them),
An "Open Society" has gone "totalitarian" by forbidding people to wear protective gears, and fired whistle blowers in the process. It is bad for business and creates panic,. so they say.
I think American society is oppressive.

If you are poor - you are doomed. In this pandemic, you are destined to die - since poor does not have adequate PPEs and cannot afford them. Homeless will do us all in, they are the reservoir of virus and in the end, they will maintain this virus in human population,. and we have at least 30 millions to 40 millions of the poor, living in cramp spaces, taking public transportation, and of course, not wearing a mask, they will make sure the revenge comes from their bodies.
I think as a frontline HCW - our frustration is about this oppressive system that is both selfish, irresponsible and free,. this is what kills us. The Feds is only a small picture, Feds care about money and the stock market, and medical offices and insurance companies care about money and their selfish interests, and regular Americans who can, stock up on ammunition and guns because they also know - no one will come for them, they have to fend off thugs who will eventually come in to rob them of their vital supplies, Greed and selfishness is the American way, and in this extinction level event, SARS CoV-2 does not distinguish nationalities and political systems, they will kill anyone, and that is final.

Staying alive is the basic human right.

America chooses who gets to stay alive and who dies. This is a practice we used to blame on the "totalitarian states" one such as China, look at them, they are happy and rejoicing that their commies come for them and look at us, "free: Americans hiding and fearful. This is the most disgusting thing I hear, about "Freedom and liberty and the pursue of irresponsible happiness." And of course, we will just keep on going, and kill a few, and when 1/2 millions are dead, and buried and cremated we will hail this pandemic a success, and huge success and we have finally beat the Chinese and because of our free society, we won. Yea, we won, a lot of us died in that process to pay for this freedom. As they say, "freedom is not cheap." In our case, we have to die to pay for these irresponsible freedom seekers, one such, is an anti-mask activist. Remember, his name is Chris Nelson, he is a devout Christian and a Florida resident. Remember to see how this all ends for him. God luck dude.

God Bless America.

Wear Your Mask

this is the reason why China has won this biological warfare, and we lost. Lost badly, with 99.97 percent as they claimed to be the recovery rate,. I have heard a few death everytime I talked to people. Pleasant Bay Nursing - at least 60 out of 90, Pleasant Bay Nursing Home is about 2 miles from me. Chris my friend lost 2 of his dear friends in their 50s' , just like me, and patient who worked at AA as a flight attendant both of them got sick, called my from the Hospital two months ago, worrying about me since I saw her as a patient earlier on (20 days ago), another patient lost a friend to it. And my latest source told me that a client of hers passed, as the plague started from P-Town.

At the start of the plague, I started sewing, and giving away masks. People thought that was crazy. That was back in Feb, virtually everyone refused to wear a mask, so everyone was an anti-mask activist. When I made masks available, someone specifically asked whether these were "clean" and safe, and then my post was taken down. That person is wearing a mask today because of Governor Baker, whose track record is better than those of Texas, Florida and California.

And those whom I gave masks, esp n95 masks, most of them would not use them when they came into contact w clients, and patients. Corporate America refused to let them use it,. and it went on during the plague for another critical 3 weeks, until they finally were allowed to use cheap surgical masks, far less effective than n95,. And n95s sold on the black market for 17 to 50 a piece. Civilians would be fine w regular medical surgical masks, since they do not come into contact with patients or clients frequently.

No one takes this seriously.

I see beautiful people walking about, without masks. They know it is safe here, and they dine in restaurants without masks, sitting so close to each other. Beaches, by now would be teemed with beautiful bodies, without masks, and I have even caught my kid almost sneaked out to a sleep over with her friends, without masks in my own house and my wife OK this. I mean, I maintain a quarantine for nothing, if anyone can just wonder through - because they think it is safe.

It is not.

We lost this war,. now we have to count the bodies and need to bury them when the time comes. This is not the worse of this war - yet. We will need more bode bags. This time, young, beautiful slender bodies, w tatoos and nice hair or beard. Young lives would be lost, and if that anti mask activist is right, the revoery rate is 99.99999999 whatever, but it happens because someone in school gave it to you, or someone your friend gave it to you, or someone whom you think is safe, gave it to you, and a "cytokine storm" happened to be in your beautiful body and you die, that is a statistic. Sorry. Very sorry.

I have donned two coats of PPE, two layers of gloves, modified my clinic to have negative pressure, washed and mopped my clinic floor w bleach between patients, kept door locked while having  one or two of my patients inside the building (one for dental cleaning), instruct my hygienists to wear n95 (not every one is compliant) or PAPR. I wear that hood 8 hours to 9 hours daily, without taking it off, and tried to survive 80 plus degrees and 80 percent humidiyt, just to see my patients - to be sure they are safe and I am safe.

And then you have idiots, people who refuse to do masks or quarantine.

We have lost this war, next is to wait for the tsunami to hit us with the dead and the bodies will pile up, wherever they are.

And it is not to late. We can still do this, so wear a mask while in public, and do not allow others in your house without a mask on and stop schools from opening, until this plague is over and taken seriously.

I am an Aquarius, and unfortunately I can see things before they happen. No one listens. I accept that, but as my duty, I still have to sound the alarm, that is my lot in life. It's like Taiwan is a part of China, and our President will get re-elected, God wills that, nothing to do with me,

Still do wear your mask and make sure those you know, wear one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsqMg7KDAWY

Doing Church

 Let me help you with my version of what a church is. Church, in the original language, was ekkelesia, which has the meaning of a group of individuals called out to form a community. Over the years, politics and power made it an entity to control peoples behaviours and to collect money/taxes, as it dominated peoples lives from cradle to grave. Of course, the promise of heaven and the punishment of hell reinforces this idea. Since Enlightenment and eventual evolution of modern science, church felt threatened and laid even stricter rules of conduct and behaviours, particularly inthe area of human reproduction and roles of men and women, Church is shocked by modernity and at this time, reduces to four walls and hiding from the public, My branch of faith, called fundamentalism actively tried to turn back the tide and legislate their own branch of faith into public squares, finding as many political allies and supreme court justices and political action committees, all these efforts cannot hide the fact that it is dying,. and as it dies, more struggle it gives.

Kids raised today are devoid of miraculous and this beauty of faith - how people can do things for others, without asking anythingin return. This was how this country began, a small group of people came here to have their own way of life and conduct without being punished by the state, and locals helped them to get established, and they did so without asking anything , even in the end, this ushered in their own demise, Yes during a struggle to make this a nation, many others died and without asking anything in return. This religion, or church is called America, with her own ways of individualism and enterprises. 

A church is being formed out of the four walls of older church buildings, and I found that at our local farmers market. I find God in growing garlic and lettuce and raise chickens. and in that greeningof out Christianity, I see hope, a greener , gentler and kinder America who is now reduced to hiding behind our homes and being told to shelter in place. I see this as an opportunity to reach out and to help others and to assure them that we are still here, the church is still intact, and that after this covid 19, individuals can come together to bring about a better community, and do things for others that we each would also benefit from. A church, simply put is a community of good people, doing good and bring about goodness into the open and if Jesus helps you to do that, so be it, or for me a beautiful garlic, shining and covers in the glorious morning sun and dew. In that mist of mystery, I see humanity and God and Jesus and that frighten young unwed teenager girl Mary, and all those who preceded me, yes, I should have gone to seminary and become a minister, but here i am a minister on my own and in my garden. Church , ekklesia, is a group of people, called out, for a purpose and that call is still there, urgent as ever.

Make America Great

"Make America Great" and "MAG Again" Reflection

Repost from my other spot

"Sorry about the delays. More glues ordered, clamps ordered, but the need is too great out there for masks. Sewing endlessly these days, and the heroes for the day would be a Pakistani made scissors, an old American made Weiss scissors, old Singer machine and a young Made in China Singer 5542, lots of materials, Fabrics made else where, Made in China, Made in America baby wipes, and an old sewing skill acquired during 1987. 1987 was a bad year for me as an apprentice for sewing. Back then, it was a low paying job, sweat shop condition in Downsview, ONT.

I have been thinking a lot these days as I sew. I saw people with good fancy cars, and they have ordered their masks from China, but they have to wait, and no one seems to know how to sew. Mmmm.... fancy cars, good paying jobs and perhaps the good life, and SARS CoV-2 equalizes all those class differences. The only thing that stood in the way, was a low paying, manufacturing sewing machine operator that is missing. I was briefed by my late father that it was a survival thing for my family, so I learnt to sew. Most of us have better things to do, and this job was for those whom we called "FOB" (fresh off boat), and those who got here first, wanted them out because there are just too many of them, I read it yesterday in my friend's post. Here I thought, FOBs would save the day, make these masks, harvest (no able to now, walls are too high./Mexicans cannot work) produce and clean peoples houses. I have always known that I am a simple, lowly paid sewing machine operator. My skills make America Great and Great again

Indomitable "X"

true, I was raised in a generation of waiting for the end to come, so I learned patience and also played with toys I made. I lived through some real rough time as I moved to Vancouver, BC, and they gave me the "New England welcome" . Solitude was no problem, My imagination ran wild those days as I learned English as a second language. When I was old enough to go to college, being told no was normal because of my race and my grades (I was a mediocre), and so after I got enough rejection letters, I came to the states, in my earliest years here, I was in Lexington, KY. I was regularly stared at on the streets and occasionally got heckled, as they drove by. Some of my professors made up their minds about me, and in the end I reapplied and ended up here in this socialist - feminist-liberal Northeast.

Yes, all my life I have been prepared for extinction level events,. I mean, my religion prepared me (I was a end time fundamentalist - a holy roller), my social background prepared me, and my studies (I was an avid microbiology major - a bacteria - virus -loving folk), yeah, that dose of microbiology prepared me for a day like this. And something unfortunate happened during my junior year, I had to quite college to work for my dad who bought a tailor shop, that was a disaster, and harsh. Yeah, I ended up knowing how to sew. and it was a thankless job, one of the lowest in the pile. And of course, studying at this liberal ridden Harvard, and spent time in the libraries in the treasures of the books about ancient China, Silk Road and Syriac Christianity that thrived in China 1300 years ago, yea, those things prepared me.

X generation does not lack anything. We were made and fashioned for a day such as this. We will now go on making masks, face shields, PPE and sew a lot of them so that our front line soldiers will be protected in this fight. We dont surrender and we will keep going, that is us, the patient and indomitable "X".

Look out, Generation X is invincible, we even make our own coffins and urns to be buried in. Hahhaaa. and I laugh.

https://www.papercitymag.com/culture/generation-x-earns-respect-conronavirus-pandemic-stay-home/?fbclid=IwAR3UsJfkEQXzMMlJVnVraavXkwdJCoyV_eqm4dktUgoK_rrNets-lzk5CVo