One way to understand the social and political effects of the pandemic is that it has acted to push those who survived it to extremes. We all know that the political system was already broken into absurdly warring factions well before Covid-19 came on the scene.
But the long period of fear of the unknown further fractured society in ways that will not now be easily mended.
The anger over vaccine mandates is a symptom of the new extremism. There appears to be very little ground for a cautious approach to mandates; you have to be either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine in the view of many people.
As a pro-vaccine person, I at times have fallen victim to this myself in the past, branding the anti-vaxxers as would-be murderers, etc., but upon reflection, I think that is an example of extremist thinking.
People have many legitimate concerns, and in a democratic society, those reservations have to be respected. If the approval process is transparent, the testing process thorough and the data verifiable, the policies apolitical, and the official communication process honest, most of those reservations will melt away with time.
Democracy is messy; we have to give it time. And when we do, we don't have to resort to what might be viewed as authoritarian tactics to achieve public health goals.
That is true of all other burning political questions as well.
The saddest victim of the current political climate is reasonable, respectful dialogue. The extreme voices are everywhere; they have us surrounded.
There was a brief moment when the threat of a common enemy in the coronavirus might have united us. There was a further opportunity to then unite as a species against climate change.
Both moments have now passed. And we can now see the impending wreckage all around us.
***
Our past follows us around like a shadow; there are times to celebrate it, regret it, correct it or relive it. But parts of the past often come after you (debtors) while you may rarely hear from those who owe you debts.
You have to go after them.
The State of California holds unclaimed funds that are owed by companies like PGE to residents from years past. There's a database where you enter your name to see if you are one of those owed money.
Normally I don't look into such things but my daughter convinced me to look and -- surprise -- I am due an old debt from the utility for roughly $116. What surprises me is that neither the state or PGE could track me down.
Maybe this particular debt is considered trivial, but it's hardly investigative reporting to track residents who vote, pays their bills and taxes, and file their new mailing addresses over the years. Believe me, the state can do it if you owe them!
If you happen to be a resident of California, or were, the state website to check is: https://www.sco.ca.gov/upd_
***
THE HEADLINES:
* Earth has 11 years to cut emissions to avoid dire climate scenarios, a report says (NPR)
* ISIS Poses a Growing Threat to New Taliban Government in Afghanistan (NYT)
* "If You Don't Have Money, You Have Sisters": Some Afghan Men Use Taliban Rule to Settle Scores (WSJ)
* Conservative lawmakers in Ohio introduced an abortion restriction that goes even further than the highly controversial measure from Texas. The law aims to ban abortions at any stage of pregnancy. It also includes a bounty to anyone who successfully sues someone aiding or abetting a person seeking an abortion. [HuffPost]
* Covid-19 Lockdowns Ripple Across China (WSJ)
* Justices’ Questions Suggest New York Gun Control Law Is Unlikely to Survive (NYT)
* Unemployment claims drop to 269,000, another pandemic low (AP)
* Hertz Will Have to Wait for Teslas, Just Like Other Buyers (WSJ)
* Tribal nations have lost 99 percent of their historical territory. Where they live now is more vulnerable to climate threats. (Cal Today)
* Is it green, or forever toxic? Nuclear rift at climate talks (AP)
* Earlier this week, countries including the United States revealed plans to crack down on emissions of the methane, the second-biggest cause of climate change after CO2 emissions. More than 100 countries pledged to slash methane emissions 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. (Reuters)
* The Amorphophallus titanum plant is blooming at the San Diego Botanic Garden, releasing its characteristic scent of rotting flesh. (AP)
* An international rights watchdog named El Salvador the most unsafe country for women in Latin America and the Caribbean in a new report. Holding aloft crosses bearing the names of murdered women, hundreds of people marched in Mexico's capital to protest violence against women amidst a steady nationwide increase in femicides. (Reuters)
* A federal investigation into PG&E’s criminal liability in the Dixie Fire could test the state’s safety net for its power providers. (SFC)
* Britain became the first country in the world to approve a potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral pill jointly developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a boost to the fight against the pandemic. (Reuters)
* Buster Posey plans to retire, career with Giants is over (SFC)
* Buster Posey is ‘the most important Giant since Willie Mays’ (SFC)
* From BTS to ‘Squid Game’: How South Korea Became a Cultural Juggernaut (NYT)
* The biggest whales can eat the equivalent of 80,000 Big Macs in one day (NPR)
* Amazon Encourages Drivers To Deliver Packages Faster By Strapping Cinder Block To Truck’s Accelerator (The Onion)
***
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw-huh,
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands
The ones I love,
Yeah, others, they've got none, huh-uh
Let's just breathe.
Never gonna let me win, aw-huh,
Under everything, just another human being, aw-huh,
Yeah, I don't wanna hurt her, there's so much in this world
To make me believe.
You're all I see.
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see,
No one knows this more than me.
As I come clean.
As I look upon your face, aw-huh,
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take, aw huh
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Oh, did I say that I want you?
Or if I didn't I'm a fool you see,
No one knows this more than me.
As I come clean, ah
Everything you gave.
Love you till I die,
Meet you on the other side.
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