I have an eery feeling that soon we will be reverting to the state we were in back in late 2019 when reports of a strange new coronavirus in the Far East started reaching us. And I'm chagrined to say that at that time I did not take the initial reports very seriously, dismissing them as "probably just another SARS scare."
Today, at least 175 million cases and 3.76 million deaths later, I won't be making that mistake again. It is significant news that once again, authorities in China are clamping down in response to a new outbreak of the disease due to variants that are severely contagious and perhaps immune to our vaccines.
Meanwhile, the vaccination situation remains problematic here, since only one U.S. city (Seattle) has achieved a 70 percent vaccinated rate so far; in the South the poke rates remain alarmingly low.
Most of us certainly realize there is no reason to panic at the prospect of Covid's resurgence, even though vigilance is called for. At present the outbreaks remain far away, like summer storms forming beyond the horizon. And we know we have experts alert to the storms' progress who will warn us if and when it's time to board up the windows again, i.e., mask up and go back into isolation.
Assuming the mutated variants eventually infiltrate our communities here in the U.S. to an extent that they affect us, we will most likely also have the additional protection of updated vaccines, probably in the form of booster shots.
In almost every way but one, we will be much better prepared than way back then if and when the virus makes a comeback in our neck of the woods, but that one way is huge.
It is the residual polarization -- partially Trump's legacy -- that will prevent us from reaching local herd immunity and allow anti-vaxxers to thrive in the public sphere who profit from their propaganda (another interesting story brought to light by journalists.)
A much larger longterm implication will hinge on resolution of the mystery of how this virus jumped from bats in caves in one district in China to humans 1,000 miles away next to a bio-weapons lab in Wuhan. That story, once it can be told, should affect the future of bio-warfare research globally.
What will be needed is a day of reckoning with the impact of the anti-nuke movement back in the 1970s. I'll never forget interviewing Ralph Nader in 1976 for Rolling Stone on a street corner in San Francisco about Prop. 15 -- California's grassroots nuclear power initiative.
<https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/californias-proposition-15-fearful-little-people-58417/>
Nader told me the proponents of nuclear power were suffering from a disease called "technological insanity." But former governor Pat Brown (father of Jerry Brown) disagreed with Nader. He told me that the opponents were "fearful little people … scared to death of death."
(My editors liked that phrase -- "fearful little people" -- so much they made it the headline of my article.)
Meanwhile, author Barry Commoner said “(nuclear power) is like trying to kill a fly with a cannonball: you’ll get the fly but there will be a lot of damage."
I interviewed tons of other people, including activists and scientists for that story, trying to capture the perspectives of all sides on the matter.
In the end, Prop. 15 prevailed and the nuclear power industry has never really recovered. We're all safer as a result.
The point of this essay is we are probably going to need a similar movement against biological warfare research once the lab origin of Covid-19 gets verified as I think it will be.
If I'm still around, maybe I'll write *that* story. And I promise I won't say "I told you so..."
***
Another sad obit from the publishing world: Oxford University Press is dying at the age of 535.
***
(NOTE: Today's top story broke too late for me to properly react to it. I will do so later today.)
The headlines:
* Trump Justice Dept. secretly sought records of two House Democrats -- The move in 2018 to subpoena Apple for the data of Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, as well as the data of several of their current and former staffers and family members, came as part of an aggressive push by the Trump administration to hunt down leakers. (WP, NYT, HuffPost)
* Oxford University Press to end centuries of tradition by closing its printing arm -- The University’s right to print books was first recognized in 1586, in a decree from the Star Chamber. But its centuries-old printing history will end this summer, after the publishing house announced the last vestige of its printing arm was closing. (The Guardian)
* Covid-19 Deaths This Year Have Already Eclipsed 2020’s Toll-- As wealthy nations vaccinate, the growing death tally underscores the worsening divide between rich and poor nations and highlights how the pandemic is far from over. (WSJ)
* The media called the ‘lab leak’ story a ‘conspiracy theory.’ Now the theory has prompted corrections — and serious new reporting. -- The pandemic’s origins are still unknown. But while the lab leak theory was first dismissed as politically motivated, it has gained new respect among journalists. (WP)
* China Returns to Its Strict Covid Limits to Fight a New Outbreak (NYT)
* As India’s pandemic surge eases, a race begins to prepare for a possible next wave (WP)
* Biden to Send 500 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccine to 100 Countries Over a Year -- The White House’s move is part of a nascent campaign to inoculate the world, and came as President Biden faced intense pressure to do more. (NYT)
* Global approval of the United States has rebounded under Biden, survey finds (WP)
* Despite Ample Shots and Incentives, Vaccine Rates Lag Far Behind in the South -- Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have the lowest vaccination rates in the country, increasing the risk of virus surges there. (NYT)
* Allies — and one adversary — will test Biden’s diplomacy (WP)
* Joe Biden opened the first overseas trip of his presidency by seeking to reassert the nation on the world stage and steady European allies deeply shaken by his predecessor. The first stop on his eight-day trip was a visit with U.S. troops at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. (AP)
* U.S. Weighs Possibility of Airstrikes if Afghan Forces Face Crisis -- The Pentagon is considering whether to intervene with warplanes or drones in the event that Kabul is in danger of falling to the Taliban, though no decisions have been made. (NYT)
* 10 Mine-Clearing Workers Are Killed in Afghanistan Attack -- Gunmen killed at least 10 people and injured 16 in an attack on staff members of a British-American charity working in Afghanistan to remove land mines, officials said on Wednesday. (AP, Reuters)
* Former Vice President Mike Pence's refusal to carry out Donald Trump's demands to overthrow the November 2020 election staved off a constitutional crisis at the very least, and possibly widespread national violence. S.V. Dáte wonders why no one wants to talk about it -- especially Pence. [HuffPost]
* FBI director suggests 'serious charges' coming in probe of Capitol attack (Reuters)
* Prices jumped 5 percent in May, continuing inflationary climb. Policymakers say it’s temporary. (WP)
* A Growing Number Of Critics Raise Alarms About The Electoral College (NPR)
* A new election forecast gives Democrats hope for 2022 -- "Despite their extremely narrow majorities, the forecasts ... show that Democrats have a reasonable chance of keeping control of both chambers in the midterm elections..." (CNN)
* To save the planet, the world needs to tackle the crises of climate change and species loss together, taking measures that fix both and not just one, United Nations scientists said in a report (AP).
* Collapse of Infrastructure Talks Puts Climate Action at Risk (NYT)
* CEOs and investors push world leaders for stronger climate action (Reuters)
* Mandatory water restrictions are on the way for the some two million residents of Santa Clara County as the drought worsens. (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Biden Administration to Restore Clean-Water Protections Ended by Trump (NYT)
* Salt erosion decaying world's oldest cave painting -- The oldest known cave painting is decaying at a rapid pace due to climate change, archaeologists said, as experts race against time to find ways to preserve the priceless prehistorical artwork in Indonesia. (Reuters)
* Scientists hail golden age to trace bird migration with tech (AP)
* Newly discovered planet could have water clouds -- Scientists have discovered an exoplanet located 90 light-years from Earth with an intriguing atmosphere -- one that could contain water clouds. (CNN)
* Child Labor Surges For The First Time In 20 Years. The Pandemic May Make That Worse. (NPR)
* Drop in routine childhood vaccinations during pandemic may raise risk of other outbreaks, CDC says (WP)
* College Football Playoff considering expansion to 12 teams (AP)
* One of legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler’s sons and two of his former players described in heartbreaking detail Thursday how they were molested by the team’s longtime doctor and how Schembechler turned a blind eye when they told him about the abuse, telling one to “toughen up” and punching his son in anger. (AP)
* N. Carolina ban on Down syndrome abortions goes to governor (AP)
* Man Flattered Spam Caller Believes He Has Car, House, Savings Account To Defraud (The Onion)
***
"Save the World"
By George Harrison
Someone else may want to use it
So far we've seen
This planet's rape, how we've abused it
We've got to save the world
With their long fingers everywhere
And now they've bombs in outer space
With laser beams and atomic waste
One acre gone in every hour
Our birds and wildlife all destroyed
To keep some millionaires employed
Greenpeace they've tried to diffuse it
But dog food salesmen
Persist on kindly to harpoon it
We've got to save the world
They're selling us plutonium
Now you can make your own H-bomb
Right in the kitchen with your mom
Than anything you've known before
The half-wit's answer to a need
For cancer, death, destruction, greed
Someone's children they may need it
So far we've seen
The big business of extinction bleed it
We've got to save the world
With evil hearts determined to
Reduce this planet into hell
Then find a buyer and make quick sale
Like trying to make concrete float
Is very simple knowing that
God in your heart lives
Someone else may want to use it
It's time you knew
How close we've come
We're gonna lose it
We gotta save, we gotta save
We gotta save the world.
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