News blues…
June 13 Tweet from Dr Jerome Adams, US surgeon general:Just a reminder - wearing a face covering is a small inconvenience that provides big benefits, and gives us our best chance for an effective and lasting reopening of America. If everyone does their part to slow the spread, then everyone wins.Dr Adams sounds like a logical and rational man who may not have factored in that not everyone wants to win if winnng means knuckling down and wearing a mask.
That segment of Americans – spurred on by, and including, the president – resist advice on basic hygiene during a pandemic.
Comedians Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart recently highlighted this “politicization of basic hygiene” – wearing a mask – and noted that the mask has become a symbol of political tyranny: “The Covid Burqa”, “the garb of the authoritarian”, “the new swastika armband”, “the don’t tread on me snake….”
Trump is the happy head of the “don’t tread on me snake” that
…continues to refuse to wear a face mask in public, even as polls show a majority of Americans say they should be used to prevent the spread of the virus. Even as some of Trump's political aides quietly assert he would score political points by wearing a mask - like Vice President Mike Pence did on Thursday in Ohio - Trump hasn't shown signs of budging.A group of Trump-supporting Floridians spoke…
"He will never change on the mask. He doesn't want that picture," one White House official said. "He knows masks are important, but he doesn't want that image or to admit he is wrong."
at a heated public hearing [and] attacked county commissioners as “communist dictators” who follow “the devil’s laws” as they [commissioners] prepared to vote on a mandate for wearing face masks in public.
During public comments before the unanimous vote in favor of the mask requirement on Tuesday, a majority of speakers opposed the move…some denied that masks were effective against spreading COVID-19 and accused officials of playing God, violating the Constitution and threatening freedom and lives by imposing the measure.
One speaker threatened to perform a citizen’s arrests on the officials for going “against the freedom of choice.”
“Every single one of you that’s obeying the devil’s laws are going to be arrested. And you are going to be arrested for crimes against humanity,” the woman declared.
“Every single one of you has a smirk behind that little mask, but every single one of you are going to get punished by God. You cannot escape God ... not even with the mask or 6 feet.”
The woman touched on several other theories, including a suggestion that the public officials could be part of a “deep state” of rogue officials. [This woman is an equal opportunity blamer. She included the devil, 5G, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, and "the pedophiles."]
Another woman told commissioners, “I want to know who is getting paid off and where is the mandate coming from.”
“Well, guess what, the riots are spreading, too!” she continued. “And what the hell are we going to do about that? We’re going to arrest patriots for not wearing a mask? That’s what you want?”
She concluded her remarks: “And I say Trump 2020!”
***
“Trump 2020” is looking less and less likely as anti-Trump Republicans organize to defeat the President in November.A group called "Right Side PAC" … will focus on targeting voters in battleground states like Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin [and on] data, targeting and turnout … [and] will work to turn out "that group of Republicans who feels that Donald Trump is an existential threat to the country and this party."The Lincoln Project’s most recent ad, “Mattis,” states, "Democracy is under threat, and people who care about it must summon the will, the discipline, and the solidarity to defend it. At stake are the freedom, health, and dignity of people everywhere."
"We're going to make people feel comfortable with the correction option -- pulling the lever for Joe Biden this year…."
The Project’s point of view is shared by more than 500 former world leaders and Novel Laureates who signed an open letter claiming authoritarian governments across the globe are using the pandemic crisis to silence critics.
The letter, organized by the Stockholm-based Institute for Democracy and published Thursday, highlights that in the wake of the crisis, both authoritarian and democratically-elected governments the world over have used emergency powers to arrest protestors and sidestep democratic norms.
The letter warns: "Authoritarian regimes, not surprisingly, are using the crisis to silence critics and tighten their political grip. But even some democratically-elected governments are fighting the pandemic by amassing emergency powers that restrict human rights and enhance state surveillance without regard to legal constraints, parliamentary oversight, or timeframes for the restoration of constitutional order.
"Parliaments are being sidelined, journalists are being arrested and harassed, minorities are being scapegoated, and the most vulnerable sectors of the population face alarming new dangers as the economic lockdowns ravage the very fabric of societies everywhere."
Since the pandemic began, dozens of countries have introduced emergency declarations and more than 100 have brought in measures that affect public assembly, such as protests against the state, according to the International Center for Non-Profit Law's Covid-19 Civic Freedom Tracker. Their cited examples range from restricting access of public information to arresting citizens for "provocative" posts on social media.
…the letter's chief warning is that countries with strong democratic traditions could use the pandemic to introduce extraordinary measures that in the long run become ordinary, doing permanent damage to global democracy.
"Authoritarians around the world see the Covid-19 crisis as a new political battleground in their fight to stigmatize democracy as feeble and reverse its dramatic gains of the past few decades."
"Now is the time when all of us must stand up for democracy. We need to make it clear to everyone what is at stake and that we will not allow leaders with authoritarian tendencies to use this or other crises to increase their power and decrease our rights," said Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of IDEA and former Second Vice-President of Costa Rica.
The letter says that "Repression will not help to control the pandemic," and that "Silencing free speech, jailing peaceful dissenters, suppressing legislative oversight, and indefinitely canceling elections all do nothing to protect public health."
"Democracy is under threat, and people who care about it must summon the will, the discipline, and the solidarity to defend it. At stake are the freedom, health, and dignity of people everywhere."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Many glorious moments basking in the sun during these winter days. Step out of the sun, though, and brrrr, the temperature drops.My evolving morning routine includes eating breakfast while sitting in the bright sunshine.
Tortoise-like, I take time-outs during the day to warm up in the sun.
Today, as I weeded, a flock of chatty weaver birds alit in a nearby tree. I continued weeding and they continued chatting.
Then, I became aware of the beauty of the moment, that I was part of a miraculous environment, birds, an infinite reality.
I stopped weeding to savor the sensation.
The birds stopped chatting.
It was as if my state of being – attentive listening – communicated with the birds and they held their collective breath to see what I’d do.
I relaxed into the silence.
Soon, the birds started chatting again. I’d been accepted.
Made my day.
***
A plethora of repat flights offeredHealth Alert: Announcing Upcoming Repatriation Flights – U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa (June 25, 2020)
Event: The South African Ministry of Health has confirmed 111,796 cases of COVID-19 within its borders.
Announcing Multiple Upcoming Repatriation Flights
We have been notified of multiple upcoming special commercial repatriation flights operated by Lufthansa, KLM, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines.
Flight information:
DATE DEPARTURE ARRIVAL AIRLINE
27 June 2020 Cape Town (CPT) Frankfurt (FRA) Lufthansa
27 June 2020 Cape Town (CPT) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
28 June 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
28 June 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Dubai (DXB) Emirates
30 June 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Dubai (DXB) Emirates
01 July 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Addis Ababa (ADD) Ethiopian Airlines
02 July 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Istanbul (IST) Turkish Airlines
04 July 2020 Cape Town (CPT) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
05 July 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
11 July 2020 Cape Town (CPT) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
12 July 2020 Johannesburg (JNB) Amsterdam (AMS) KLM
Interested passengers must book their tickets directly with the airlines' local ticket office or using the below contact information:
- Ethiopian Airlines by contacting: SouthAfricaSalesTeam@ethiopianairlines.com
- Lufthansa by contacting: Jnbmarketing@dlh.de
- Emirates must be booked directly with the Emirates Johannesburg office, by contacting eksa@emirates.com and completing a required booking form
- Turkish Airlines by contacting: cptmarketing@thy.com
- KLM by contacting:
Website: You can book your ticket through our website www.klm.co.za by searching for a one-way trip and specific date. The calendar view will not display them. Please book only for the flights on these dates and flight numbers.
Call centre: Our sales and Service Centre can be contacted to book a flight, via phone: +27 (0)10 205 0100 or +27(0)10 205 0101, daily between 09:00 –16:00. Payment can only be made with credit card. If you have an existing booking with Air France or KLM you can use it to (partially) pay for this flight.
Additional Information: During the booking process a link will be given to fill in a web form. You need to fill in the form for each passenger in your reservation. It is mandatory to fill in this web form. In case you missed the link in your booking process, you can find it here: https://www.klm.com/travel/za_en/customer_support/repatriation_flights.htm. - SAA also has a repatriation portal where you may register your interest in potential future repatriation flights.
·Passengers will be responsible for travel to their final destination in the United States from the arrival airport listed above.
- These flights are open to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and visa holders who have received DHA approval to depart South Africa. (Noting that visa holders will not be allowed to transit the EU.)
- Passengers will be responsible for finding transportation to the required assembly point, which will be communicated by the airlines prior to the flight departure.
- Travel permission letters for U.S. citizens and green card holders are not required unless you will be crossing provinces to arrive at the assembly point. If and only if you must cross a provincial border to join this repatriation flight, please write SAEvacuation@state.gov requesting a travel letter. Include your name, passport or green card number, current address, and flight confirmation.
- For any questions regarding availability, cost, baggage allowance, or other flight details, please contact the airlines directly.
I may register on SAA’s repatriation portal. I hesitate to expose myself to bureaucracy that might reel out of control. I’m not particularly thrilled about travelling SAA, nor having to find a way to Johannesburg (why no flights originating in Durban?) nor of landing on the east coast or Chicago when my destination is San Francisco.
Moreover, I won’t leave before July 14 – my mother’s 87th birthday.
Am I settling in here? Putting down roots?
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