It’s Easier to Call for Peace and Calm from a Place of Strength

From the days of the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad, many groups tried to be the voice of love and justice. Voices that normally said the world is evil and we need to separate ourselves from it to protect our young and frail. And they lived on farms and in communes to assure that.

But the world keeps encroaching itself on them. Either by surrounding their farms, or when their media comes into their home.

Somehow in all the voices that have been shouting for calm and saying justice will prevail, it is the voice that is raised in hymns of peace and love that were actually heard in Minneapolis and have been trending all over Twitter since yesterday. The ones that historically were on the side of black lives. Black freedom. That truth has not been forgotten.

Sometimes being quiet and standing on the side of justice, peace and love reaches more people than authority ever will.

source

The quiet voice that has always said that evil must be prevented. It cannot stand. It cannot be tolerated. The voice of love must be heard when people most need to hear it.

And so it was heard.

“I Have a Dream,” Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve been wondering what MLK would say today during these police actions and riots that follow. And sadly I cannot see his words changing much, in anything. I’ve been asking myself if he would still be a man of peace though? Here are his own words, then.
If it helps any, you might be glad to know that Amnesty Int’l is calling out Trump for inciting violence and flagrant racism on twitter.

…..

“I Have a Dream,” Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Author:
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
(Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
Date:
August 28, 1963
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Genre:
Audio
Speech
Topic:
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963

…..

In his iconic speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King urged America to “make real the promises of democracy.” King synthesized portions of his earlier speeches to capture both the necessity for change and the potential for hope in American society.

……

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [applause]

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves [Audience:] (Yeah) who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. (Hmm)

But one hundred years later (All right), the Negro still is not free. (My Lord, Yeah) One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. (Hmm) One hundred years later (All right), the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later (My Lord) [applause], the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. (Yes, yes) And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence (Yeah), they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men (My Lord), would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. (My Lord) Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. [enthusiastic applause] (My Lord, Lead on, Speech, speech)

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. (My Lord) [laughter] (No, no) We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. (Sure enough) And so we’ve come to cash this check (Yes), a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom (Yes) and the security of justice. (Yes Lord) [enthusiastic applause]

We have also come to this hallowed spot (My Lord) to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. (Mhm) This is no time (My Lord) to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. [applause] (Yes, Speak on it!) Now is the time (Yes it is) to make real the promises of democracy. (My Lord) Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time [applause] to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time (Yes) [applause] (Now) to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent (Yes) will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. (My Lord) 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. (Yes) And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. [enthusiastic applause] There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: in the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. (My Lord, No, no, no, no) [applause] We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. (My Lord) Again and again (No, no), we must rise to the majestic heights (Yes) of meeting physical force with soul force. (My Lord) The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people (Hmm), for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny [sustained applause], and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” (Never) We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. (Yes) We can never be satisfied [applause] as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. [applause] We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. (Yes) We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating for whites only. [applause] (Yes, Hallelujah) We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. (Yeah, That’s right, Let’s go) [applause] No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters (Yes) and righteousness like a mighty stream. [applause] (Let’s go, Tell it)

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. (My Lord) Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. (My Lord, That’s right) Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution (Yeah, Yes) and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith (Hmm) that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi (Yeah), go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities (Yes), knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. (Yes) Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. (My Lord)

I say to you today, my friends [applause], so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow (Uh-huh), I still have a dream. (Yes) It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. (Yes)

I have a dream (Mhm) that one day (Yes) this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed (Hah): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” (Yeah, Uh-huh, Hear hear) [applause]

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia (Yes, Talk), the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream (Yes) [applause] that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice (Yeah), sweltering with the heat of oppression (Mhm), will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream (Yeah) [applause] that my four little children (Well) will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. (My Lord) I have a dream today. [enthusiastic applause]

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists (Yes, Yeah), with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” (Yes), one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. [applause] (God help him, Preach)

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted (Yes), every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain (Yes), and the crooked places will be made straight (Yes), and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed [cheering], and all flesh shall see it together. (Yes Lord)

This is our hope. (Yes, Yes) This is the faith that I go back to the South with. (Yes) With this faith (My Lord) we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. (Yes, All right) With this faith (Yes) we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation (Yes) into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. (Talk about it) With this faith (Yes, My Lord) we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together (Yes), to stand up for freedom together (Yeah), knowing that we will be free one day. [sustained applause]

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children (Yes, Yeah) will be able to sing with new meaning: “My country, ‘tis of thee (Yeah, Yes), sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. (Oh yes) Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride (Yeah), from every mountainside, let freedom ring!” (Yeah)

And if America is to be a great nation (Yes), this must become true. So let freedom ring (Yes, Amen) from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. (Uh-huh) Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. (Yes, all right) Let freedom ring (Yes) from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. (Well) Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. (Yes) But not only that: (No) Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. [cheering] (Yeah, Oh yes, Lord) Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. (Yes) Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. (Yes) From every mountainside (Yeah) [sustained applause], let freedom ring.

And when this happens [applause] (Let it ring, Let it ring), and when we allow freedom ring (Let it ring), when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city (Yes Lord), we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children (Yeah), black men (Yeah) and white men (Yeah), Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics (Yes), will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! (Yes) Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” [enthusiastic applause]

Freedoms of Expression and Speech – The Battle Between Trump and Twitter.

A LOT of people mistake the two freedoms:
Canada
USA .

One given to ordinary people (creative expression) so they can be creative and freely express their opinions. One for media (speech) so they can challenge the leaders of their nation without fearing imprisonment, torture or death.

A lot of people presume these rights mean they can say or do anything as long as they shout these rights. They cannot. Not even POTUS can.

There are other laws, like the human rights code or criminal code that let you know what your rights really are, if you incite others to kill, pillage or rape in the name of hate. If you impede the workings of a free nation’s vote. Or if you conspire to get your neighbours to act against the govt .

But even under that, we know that the people have a civil code. Acts of behaviour dependant on where you are and with whom:

• If you are in your own home, you can pray, think and feel as you wish. At least in theory. Your spouse may divorce you, your kids might leave home and never look back. They might call the cops or Child Protection on you.
• If you go into your neighbour’s house, you can join them in their thoughts and activities, or your neighbour can ask you to leave if they aren’t willing to discuss them as two equal opposing voices.
• If you go into a business, you engage with the clerk about the service you need and how it can best be fulfilled. You might discuss the weather. If you’re in a small town, you might know the clerk personally and talk about the church picnic or the last baseball game at the town lot. You might exchange gossip about a common friend.
• If you use a website to tweet or blog, you have to follow the TOS and how popular your words are and how seriously they are taken is based on how people perceive you. I know, it feels like you’re at home and you can do like whatever, cuzz home. But that isn’t true.

Underneath all these examples is a social contract, or etiquette. Expectations for how you can behave.

Make no mistake, it is in effect their property, their business and they can turf you if you misbehave. Either temporarily or permanently. Or they can edit you, remove the blog or tweet. And you really don’t have a lot of recourse. It’s their site.

And that is just for the ordinary folk. Most sites don’t certifiy the members. But ones like Facebook and Twitter do. So now it’s not just anybody speaking: it’s a doctor, a lawyer, a reporter, a union rep…. the POTUS or FLOTUS and his running mates and competitors. People take that more seriously. So if one of these gets out of hand, and repeatedly breaks the TOS of the site, doesn’t the site have the recourse to fact check you? To link to the opposite view, or add a tag line that says “the mgmt of this site does not agree with this opinion and it is skirting the edge of our TOS. Read with caution.”? Of course they do. It’s their site.

But this is Trump, the POTUS. Who has put forward such lovely things as SESTA/FOSTA and previously limited the freedom of the public on social media, and now is going after it again. This is Mr “Fake news” Trump who refuses to address and engage with the media respectfully.

Trump was breaking the TOS of Twitter and didn’t appreciate the tag line they put on his misinformation about elections. The same reasoning that websites have been hit with due to the pandemic. They were asked to edit people who were fear-mongering and spreading false info about the virus and disease.

So it seems that Trump doesn’t like being watched with the same standards he as POTUS asked for, hmm?? Well so sorry about that Dahlink, but life’s a beech then you die! (Wannabe Oligarch says whaaa??)

Because from what I have personally witnessed Trump doing on Twitter re: the election and the pandemic, he should actually be removed from the site. If Twitter treated him like any other member, that is.

BUT it draws traffic to the site. His fans and his mockers are having a blast tweeting. Tweets make money for Twitter.

And that is the jist of the issue for both Trump and Twitter. Innit?
Whose side are you on?

Pssst Trump, have you ever noticed how when you point a finger at someone, four of your fingers point back at you? Wasn’t your team accused of election fraud? Isn’t that how you know it’s possible? Hmmm??

da news!/ media reports

dailymailnews
abcnews

Operation Laser Update: Military Report on the Quality of Care they Found in the LTCs is appalling

Two Days ago i wrote about Operation Laser, the introduction of the military into Long term care centers to help staff manage the care of the elderly. The conditions they found were appalling. Here is what they said:

…… the military findings

source

TORONTO — Members of the military called in to assist five long-term care homes in Ontario dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks wrote a report on some of the troubling observations they made at those homes. Here is a selection of the allegations, which Premier Doug Ford called horrific.

Eatonville Care Centre:

A list of some of the allegations in a military report on long-term care homes

— Poor catheter care, resulting in nearly a dozen incidents of bleeding fungal infections.

— Much of the stock of medication was months out of date, meaning residents had “likely been getting expired medication for quite some time.”

— Aggressiveness when changing diapers, not stopping when resident complains of pain, and “degrading or inappropriate comments directed at residents.”

Hawthorne Place:

— “Protocols in place have a near 100 per cent contamination rate for equipment, patients and overall facility…Equipment is seldom/ever observed to be disinfected but is used between positive/negative patients.”

— “Significant gross fecal contamination was noted in numerous patient rooms.”

— Insect infestations, including ants and cockroaches.

— Patients crying for help with staff not responding, sometimes for over two hours.

Orchard Villa:

— Cockroaches and flies present.

— Patients left soiled in diapers rather than being taken to the toilet.

— Staff were not always sitting residents up before feeding them. One incident “appears to have contributed in patient death,” with a code blue due to choking during feeding while supine.

Altamont Care Community:

— “Due to significant staffing issues, most residents were reported to not having received three meals per day.”

— A significant number of residents had pressure ulcers, including up to stage four, which involves damage down to the muscle or bone.

— “Medications are being reported/documented as being given but in fact they are not.”

Grace Manor:

— Staff moving from a COVID-positive unit to other units without changing contaminated PPE.

— Leaving food in a resident’s mouth while they are sleeping.

— Not assisting residents during meals. “Staff would write the resident refused to eat, rather than helping them.”

…. the context

Since Mike “the knife” Harris was premier of Ontario, funding has been repeatedly cut to LTCs that could have gone to more staff and more/better staff training. And that was BEFORE a pandemic came along. Now the quality of care there looks more like a third world nation than one of the richest countries in the world. There really is no excuse! BUT you’ll be thrilled to know that the shareholders and owners earned millions during this period?! Is this what you want to have independently run, with no oversight? Because that is what Ford and Mike Harris are going for. Now.

…. the responses

Justin Trudeau
Doug Ford
SEIU Health Care Union Head – Sharleen Stewart
the voice of the shut out family

… Ford is calling for a coroner’s inquest

what does a cornoner’s inquest look like?
And is that the best solution when the people in power are playing pass the buck with people’s lives? With their safety, dignity, and care? I wish I could think it would be an independent inquest, but the coroner is paid by the govt….
mcscs
oacp

Canadian law/ test case – 17 yr old incel charged with first degree murder related to terrorist activity

Being an incel is a joke, right? Some guys get together on a website and badmouth women and it’s treated with guffaws and called nonsense, right? Who can it hurt?
And in that frame, when someone gets killed, they can’t blame the man, can they? Can they?

Well guys, be clear that if you are Canadian, not only will you be charged with murder, but now you will be charged with acts of terrorism. And it’s a federal crime. Min sentence – 25 years.

In this story, how does a 17 yr old get so distressed by rejection from girls/women that he kills people he can’t know that well.

Was he refused a massage because he was under age?

It’ll be an interesting test case for Canadian law. Is misogyny a hate crime or not?
Why yes, your honour. The RCMP say it is! (federal police force)

So…. will that change how incels are treated online as well? It’ll have to if the Crown succeeds. Do we wish them luck?

….. news sources

cbc twitter
cbc
globe and mail twitter
bbc

Operation Laser – A Cdn Military’s Pandemic Response in Greater Toronto and Montreal

When the govt realized that long term care facilities (LTCs) that were already understaffed and overwhelmed pre-pandemic were in a major crisis, the military of Canada was deployed to help in two waves. First went those who had any and all medical training, then soldiers who needed basic training (use of PPE and basic asst tasks.)

They also had to be segregated even from each other so they didn’t cross-contaminate either the seniors or each other.

That is how desperate those two hot spots of Canada became. How desperate they were allowed to come. Because prior to the military deployment, seniors were also needing hospitalization for dehydration and malnutrition. Not just Covid 19. The already beleaguered staff were scared, in some cases sick (and dying) and there were some who quit. Which left the LTCs in dire straights.

In one case an entire LTC was abandoned by staff. Think about that. The infirm, the wheelchair and geriatric chair bound, people with strokes and senility were left with no one to feed, change or lift them from chair to bed… It makes me cry just to think about it.

Do you know how long it takes to die from lack of water and food? Days, weeks. Depending how healthy they were to begin with. But still days minimum.

I’ve worked in LTCs and I know just how desperate staff had to be to walk out.

I also know that union reps are leaving their desks to pinch hit as whatever is needed.

How long will this go on? Unknown. Even in a country that has a decent care and support system, things can get really really bad.

So how is it going in third world countries? It is something I cannot even begin to guess at, even though I do know the back story here.

And in the face of this, we have protestors, and partiers putting us more at risk. Think about who you are hurting when it’s more important to get your hair cut or go to the park with your friends.

…..

In Greater Montreal area

Support is currently being provided in the following facilities:

1. Manoir de Verdun (Montréal)
2. Centre d’hébergement Yvon-Brunet (Montréal)
3. CHSLD Villa Val des Arbres (Laval)
4. Grace Dart Extended Care Centre (Montréal)
5. CHSLD Vigi Reine-Elizabeth (Montréal)
6. Résidence Berthiaume-Du Tremblay (Montréal)
7. CHSLD Vigi Mont-Royal (Ville Mont-Royal)
8. CHSLD Floralies-De-Lasalle (Lasalle)
9. Centre d’hébergement de Saint-Laurent (Saint-Laurent)
10. CHSLD Argyle (Saint-Lambert)
11. CHSLD Benjamin-Victor-Rousselot (Montréal)
12. CHSLD Auclair (Montréal)
13. CHSLD de la Rive (Laval)
14. CHSLD Eloria-Lepage (Montréal)
15. Centre d’Hébergement Jean-De-La-Lande (Montréal)
16. Centre d’Hébergement Saint-Andrew (Montréal)
17. CHSLD Denis-Benjamin Viger (Montréal)
18. Le Bellagio (Longueuil)
19. Centre d’Hébergement Real-Morel (Montréal)
20. CHSLD Jean-Hubert-Biermans (Montréal)
21. Centre d’Hébergement Saint-Margaret (Montréal)
22. CHSLD Cartierville (Montréal)
23. Centre d’Hébergement Nazaire-Piché (Montréal)
24. CHSLD de Lachine (Lachine)
25. CHSLD Paul-Gouin (Montréal)

CAF personnel have completed their tasks the following locations:

1. CHSLD Hôpital Sainte-Anne (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue)
2. CHSLD Valéo (Saint-Lambert)

… the Greater Toronto area.

Support is currently being provided in the following facilities:

1. Orchard Villa, in Pickering
2. Altamont Care Community, in Scarborough
3. Eatonville, in Etobicoke
4. Hawthorne Place, in North York
5. Holland Christian Homes Grace Manor, in Brampton

to you soldiers…

Thank you so much!!
source – Global News story
Operation Laser – govt of Canada

In an effort to promote peace after WWII, the United Nations was formed (75 yrs ago)

On twitter, I follow the UN, UN Women and UN Human Rights as well as the WHO. It’s been interesting to watch the issues they raise daily. Esp during a pandemic and continuing conflicts.

As a result, I found out that this is the 75th anniversary year of the UN’s formation. And I have some questions I thought I’d share.

……

Getting all these Nations to work together for the betterment of the world and all it’s peoples is a Herculean task. When you have different faiths, cultures, and legal/political systems is mind-boggling. When the only tools of censure you have are sanctions and removing your right to vote, how do you get warring parties to adhere to the general goals? How do you promote sanctions against a country, knowing that it’s not the politicians who will suffer most, but the poorest of the poor? How do you measure out reasonable sanctions, knowing that there will be preventable deaths?

As a last resort, the UN can send in an int’l peacekeeping force. Which may or may not work.

So in year 75, how successful has the UN been, overall? (Not that a pandemic is the right time to kick them to the curb, if you think they do a bad job) And what or who would replace them, if they were kicked to the curb?

From the League of Nations to the UN

The League of Nations does not exist today. It has been replaced by the United Nations. The League of Nations was established in January of 1920 with the aim of preserving world peace. … The countries that won World War I were put in charge of enforcing world peace.
source

when was the UN formed?

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.
source

the 3 pillars of the UN

“70 years ago, the UN Charter established the three founding pillars of the UN system: peace and security, human rights, and development.”
source
U.N. Security Council, made up of the United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and China. Each would have veto power over the other.

source

In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) was established as a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
source
source
source

…..

apnews- Trump and the UN in conflict
theconversation – Trump cuts funds to the WHO

This Week in the Earth Comes First – Bees!

Yesterday was World Bee Day so to celebrate, I thought I’d post something about bees. I don’t know much about them, except they help make one of my fave things: HONEY! (You’d think I was Pooh Bear! but not quite!) I don’t eat it by the jar… quite.

About the bee though….

Did you know that there is more than one kind of bee? And did you know it’s such a cool creature, that there are fake bees too? (I think kinksters can relate to that.)

Did you know a LOT of the plants in the world are reliant on the bee? And not just the pretty flowers either. But much of the food you eat, whether you’re a vegan or meat eater. Honey bees are becoming extinct in many parts of the world and their foe is us. Humans take over their habitats, and we use pesticides which kill bees. We really are shooting ourselves in the foot. It’s no wonder they’re after us a bit now . I mean, do you blame them?

Creatures like this are why our world is in so much trouble, and open to pandemics. We really DO need to reconsider how we treat our planet and it’s fellow inhabitants. Or we won’t have a planet left that we can tolerate. And we haven’t found another one we can live on.

… sources

climateprimer
globalissues
wwf

During this Pandemic…. which are you?

Different people have different ways of dealing with high stress moments of life. Which are you? (you don’t have to answer, but think about it)

….

the magical thinker (also called ostriches) – if I wish it away or ignore it, it won’t affect me or those I love
the researcher – goes on a google spree to end all sprees with a medical dictionary open beside them
the follower – picks a field, person and takes their view as gospel
the blamer – finds someone who doesn’t seem to be doing the same things and blames them for all that goes wrong
the bigot – finds a group of people they dislike more and more and blames them for the ills of the world, esp this one
the worker – one who finds things that need to be done to keep themselves busy, to help others
the fixer – makes a list of charitable causes and donates time and money to them, and if admin inclined, gives them goals to adhere to in a reasonable time frame
the SJW – watches those in charge and those who aren’t following their idea of what is to be done and rants about them
the humourist – most have a dark sense of humor and find the guffaws thru the bottom of the pit moments to reflect.
the anarchist – watches everyone and tosses out everything they’ve seen and come up with new ways to see the same things.

….

They all have a good purpose when it comes to a crisis. We have the dreamers, the ones who question authority and the status quo, and those who take leadership to get things done. But they are fun/ny to watch, if all you do is sit back with popcorn. It’s a heck of a reality show.

…. The image

And to leave you with a bit of gallows humour….
from the desk of Jim Carrey
(the grim reaper gives Trump the jealous middle finger cuzz Trump has a higher death toll this year)

May 17 2020 – International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

from – Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

……

The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is a day to celebrate diversity and to raise awareness of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTIQ+) people. This year’s theme, “Breaking the Silence”, is more appropriate than ever.

LGBTIQ+ people still face serious challenges in their everyday life. With 69 countries still criminalizing same sex relations, millions of lesbians, gay men and bisexual people live in fear of being who they are and showing whom they love. Transgender people are subjected to punishments in at least 26 countries and experience unprecedented levels of violence across the globe.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on LGBTIQ+ people. With 4 billion people in lockdown worldwide, there are growing number of reports about emergency powers being used to target LGBTIQ+ people. This includes the misuse of digital technologies to monitor people’s movements during lockdowns or curfews. LGBTIQ+ people are reporting an elevated risk of domestic and family violence, increased social isolation and anxiety as well as difficulties in accessing crucial HIV treatment and gender-affirming health services. The economic crisis is also disproportionally affecting LGBTIQ+ people, many of whom work in the informal sector or are unemployed and lack access to paid sick leave or unemployment compensation.

People and their rights must be placed front and centre in the COVID-19 response and recovery. We must break the silence when it comes to the stigma and discrimination experienced by LGBTIQ+ people. At the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), we are working as part of the UN family to help break the silence that harms LGBTIQ+ people and ultimately impacts us all. UNDP is currently working in 53 countries, partnering with LGBTIQ+ communities and policymakers, to strengthen inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people in national development initiatives.

On this day, let’s raise our voices and recommit our efforts to put human dignity at the heart of all that we do to build more just and more inclusive societies.

• Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)