Wars and pandemics often combine to change the course of human history, starting with the pandemic that helped the Spartans defeat the Athenians in 430 B.C. One blessing of our current pandemic is that so far it has not triggered a global war.
Of course there are plenty of hot spots around the globe, especially in the Middle East, and armed adversaries face each other elsewhere as well.
But nobody thinks that World War III is imminent.
Meanwhile, the Post asks in one of this weekend's stories about the pandemic, "What Have We Been Through?'
It will take a long time for historians to sort out answer to that question, so for now we have to rely on the news business, with its well-worn "first draft of history" responsibility as our guide.
Reading between the headlines, one of the emerging themes post-Covid may be a growing consensus about the gravity of climate change. Experiencing first-hand how a microscopic virus can circumnavigate the globe, affecting every human being on the planet, is a reminder that we're all in this together.
All of the religions of the world, and all of the political and economic structures, couldn't prevent millions of our fellow humans from dying from Covid-19.
Many more will perish before it is relegated to annual nuisance status like the flu.
But in this period of relative calm, all of the religions of the world, plus all of the political and economic structure cannot prevent the depredations of climate change, either.
What they can do, perhaps, is mitigate the consequences. But time is of the essence for that.
That is why I find one of the current political standoffs in the U.S. so depressing. Republicans have blocked Biden's infrastructure initiative because they consider his proposed transition to a much greener strategy "too expensive."
I have only one response: "Tell that to your grandchildren."
Because they, not you, will be the ones paying the price for the delay you cause now. And it is going to make today's cost look unforgivably minuscule by comparison.
***
The news:
* How Severe Is the Western Drought? -- Maps show that drought conditions are the most widespread and severe in at least 20 years, with reservoirs running dry. (NYT)
* This melting glacier was already the biggest source of sea level rise. Then things got worse. (WP)
* President Joe Biden’s hopes of channeling billions of dollars into green infrastructure investments to fight climate change are running into the political obstacle of winning over Republican lawmakers who oppose that approach as unnecessary, excessive spending. (AP)
* Biden Plans to Restore Alaskan Forest Protections Stripped Under Trump -- The administration says it will “repeal or replace” the rule that opened up more than half of Tongass National Forest to logging. (NYT)
* China's Wandering Elephants Are On The Move Again. Are They Headed Home? (NPR)
* As the pandemic retreats, we’re left wondering what we’ve been through (WP)
* 'Intense' Iran nuclear talks resume as Germany calls for rapid progress (Reuters)
* Separate bombs hit two minivans in a mostly Shiite neighborhood in the Afghan capital Saturday, killing at least seven people and wounding six others, the Interior Ministry said. (AP)
* Justice Dept. Watchdog to Investigate Seizure of Democrats’ Data (NYT)
* Democrats try to ease tensions between ‘the Squad’ and Jewish lawmakers ahead of key month for party’s agenda (WP)
* Is There a Way to Dial Down the Political Hatred? -- Humans may be wired to need some kind of faith, but it doesn’t have to be like this. (NYT)
* Secret recordings and leaked letters rock the Southern Baptist Convention -- The infighting in the evangelical denomination appears to mirror that in the Republican Party. (WP)
* Does Evolution Want Us to Drink? (WSJ)
*San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin's Record Charging Police -- The charging of two former Alameda County sheriff’s deputies last week marks the fourth case of criminal charges against police officers since he took office in January 2020, a move unheard of in San Francisco before last year. (Mission Local)
* Bipartisan proposals in House would mean major changes for the way tech giants operate (WP)
* Why Has Local News Collapsed? Blame Readers. (Politico)
* Seeking clues to mysteries of coronavirus by studying a person’s ability to taste bitterness (WP)
* Detectives Just Used DNA To Solve A 1956 Double Homicide. They May Have Made History It's one of the oldest criminal cases cracked with the new DNA technology. The murders of teen sweethearts Lloyd Duane Bogle and Patricia Kalitzke had gone unsolved for more than 60 years. (NPR)
* Cape Cod diver left with a whale of a tale after a humpback spat him out (CNN)
* Man Wishes Computer Could Do Thing It Already Can Do (The Onion)
***
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be better than before
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
-- Fleetwood Mac
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment