Surviving the Pan(ic)demic

I worked on the non-fiction book this week. I didn't get as much done as I wanted. Like last week, this week was a lot of running around getting final supplies and such. Toilet paper and alcohol are almost unobtainable here near Cleveland, GA and Cornelia, GA. Nevertheless, I was able to get some toilet paper. I think I have enough to make it through the worst of what's to come. The explosion of cases isn't supposed to really hit until into April. I never saw any alcohol anywhere. I tried ordering it online, but my order was cancelled. I'm still waiting for the refund.

The pandemic brings disturbing news. DOJ appeals to Congress for new emergency powers amid pandemic. "In addition, the DOJ has asked for the ability to ask chief judges to permanently detain an individual without trial during emergencies." I beg your pardon, but there's no emergency so big we have to suspend the Constitution. The Patriot Act has already gone too far.

During the pandemic, there's a plague of locusts, too.

Some companies, including Facebook, have been hoarding supplies. The day Trump announced that the government was going after companies who are doing this, Facebook announced they were "donating" over 700,000 N95 masks to relief workers. Facebook donates 720,000 masks.

Coronavirus at the Local Level

On a personal level, things haven't changed too much where I live. The county I live in has one case. The county next door has one case. Let's pray it doesn't double. ;) Some restaurants only do drive-in now. Nearly all churches are closed. Stores are closing early.

When the news first hit American news outlets, toilet paper started disappearing. I had enough, so I started buying food instead. Then toilet paper vanished. Uh, oh. I managed to get enough food to last the recommended 12 weeks of quarantine. Finding toilet paper has been a massive struggle, but I finally found it.

Of course, this is Common Core math. 32 does not equal 64 in any mathematically system.

Now that some toilet paper shipments are trickling in, a lot of food shelves are empty. I'm glad I went for the food first. I'm not sure I have every single thing I need. I definitely don't have enough alcohol. But I have enough basics to survive.

If you live in the area, the Dollar General in Clarkesville had a toilet paper shipment arrive Wednesday that's supposed to be on the shelves this weekend. My impression is that Dollar Generals around Cleveland and Cornelia will have it stocked Saturday morning.

The news still isn't reporting enough real facts about the pandemic. In Italy no one over 60 gets a ventilator. In Spain no one over 65 gets one. Data from warm countries indicates summer doesn't stop coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. If that's true, yikes. I saw an anecdotal story that not every institution in the U.S. is reporting all its cases. Just like China, very disturbing. We may never get the real numbers. That was a problem in the 1918 pandemic as well. At some point hospitals start reporting disease fatalites as something else like viral pneumonia or heart failure.

On the other hand, the pandemic seems over-hyped at this time. I'm still waiting for the April explosion to know for sure, but a lot of U.S. counties have zero or only a few cases. Governments are scrambling for emergency powers there doesn't seem to be a reason to need. No one is rioting. I'm worried about democracy in the U.S. The Patriot Act was a major erosion. Now the DOJ is seeking even more unconstitutional powers. Does democracy die in a panic?

Have a great weekend.