Fact Check

Or, reality check

We are being lied to, and because we do not know the truth some of us are dying. Not knowing lies from facts has many believing in the lies. Those in charge may feel that we “can’t handle the truth.”

In a democracy, it would be up to us to assess our options. There is a very distinct and thick line between withholding the truth and outright fabrications. The administration, particularly are nominal leader, has crossed that line.

Fact checking his press conferences keeps somebody busy as the president spews lies, false boasts, and outright deceptions by the dozens. For instance, it should go without saying that anti-malarial drugs do not stave off the Covid-19 infection. Those who believe this fiction do so at their peril.

You may wish that it were so, but the economy is not rebounding until we are all healthy. The stock market, which might rise on news of a stimulus package, is not more important than the lives of our fellow citizens. Returning to business as usual will likely stretch out the days of coronavirus novel; the pandemic will last longer if we stop taking measures to stop its spread. This will cost lives.

Grime and punishment

Roz Chast, the cartoonist whose life-commentary is frequently found in the New Yorker, speaks of the grime that settles on walls, floors, and in the cabinets of the elderly.

As a baby boomer, I am guilty of flourishing amidst this kind of sediment. No doubt, that is why her mention of it resonated so immediately with me.

Like most of us, I have struggled with it for years, Long before I could call myself old, I scrubbed at the dirt that congregated in my living room, under the bed and coach, in corners.

The battle is now settled in favor of the dust.