Watching The News

 Watching The News – January 12, 2022
 
                I haven’t been out in the shed since before Thanksgiving.  My air conditioner/heater went out and it’s been darn cold out there… Oh I’ve been out to check on it but not to sit and write.  Sitting and writing has been moved to my comfy chair in the living room and it really isn’t the same… there are more distractions in the house.  
                 As I look off into the distance… it’s something I do to gather my thoughts and words, my eyes see the littered debris scattered around the communal living space by dear “tornado” Rai… vacuuming and dusting is somewhat easier to ignore.  Not sure why – but it might be an eyesight thing. 
The scattered pillows on the couch, the socks thrown haphazardly near the plant on the table by the window and another lying wadded up on the back of the couch, the pants and shirt discarded on the floor, the wrappers and papers and pencils and markers – it is a daily disaster…
                 I should note that I have a coping mechanism for handling the “stress of the mess” – my comfy chair in the living room swivels…  so, for a brief respite from the mess, I simply swivel my chair to face the bookcase and the corner of the room.  Everything becomes smaller for a few moments, and I can focus again on my writing. 
              So anyway, as I am sitting, writing, thinking and staring off into distant realms and swiveling myself into a more compact and creative space… A sound, a street cleaner, a siren, a loud car, the refrigerator making strange clanks, the washing machine off kilter downstairs, no one important calling the old land line – all reminds me that I’m not in my shed and my thought process drifts…  This is when I have a tendency to swivel around and turn on the news to find out what is happening in the world.
            That is what happened yesterday (Jan 11).   Having a bout with writer’s block that caused me to tune into the news for a little break.  Wow – that was weird.  Dr. Fauci was up on the hill testifying before Congress on the Covid response when Senators Rand Paul and Roger Marshall both tried to ambush him with their usual contempt, misleading, false and potentially life-threatening statements.  It was quite a spectacle.  Dr. Fauci wasn’t just sitting back and taking their nonsense – he had a prepared comeback. 
             He called out Paul on his dangerous rhetoric and the resulting threats that he and his family have received.  Dr. Fauci actually displayed a sample of Rand Paul’s website where the message is “Fire Fauci Now” with an accompanying request for campaign funds.  Rand Paul is raising money on his personal effort to fire Fauci – that is deplorable.  Sadly - the messaging created by Rand Paul and others in the GOP has led to viable threats of violence towards Dr. Fauci and his family, thus creating fear and uncertainty while also creating the need for round the clock security.    
               In a hot mic moment, Fauci was heard calling Marshall a moron after the Senator had indicated that he wanted Dr. Fauci’s financial records.  Financial records that are submitted annually and that have been on public record for over 30 years.  The fact that the Senator or his staff could not find those records indicates that he and his staff are incompetent and lack sufficient skills to do their job or they are lying – either scenario makes me think they are morons…  If you haven’t seen the news clips, be sure to check You tube or the various news sources – it’s helpful to get the full story for yourself.
             Of course, watching the hearings unfold, I felt a little kinship with Dr. Fauci… I know how absurd that sounds and any comparison between myself and Dr. Fauci is limited to our ability to piss people off.  I don’t think that Dr. Fauci is perfect, but I do believe him to be a dedicated scientist concerned with preserving life.  I certainly don’t think he deserves the scorn and ridicule that he is receiving from many members of the Republican Party.  His life has been threatened – real threats of real violence to not just him, but to his loved ones as well.  That is sick.
           In the course of my career, I managed to piss people off.  Whether it was trying to stop the balloon releases at the University of Nebraska, or that time I unwisely used a perfect picture from a downtown business that illustrated the totally improper disposal of hazardous waste (the owner of the building was livid) ooops.  Or that time, I simply supported not taking down healthy trees on the public right of way – that may have irritated a crazy person.
         To be fair, I didn’t just piss off people in the field of proper waste disposal and environmental preservation, I also riled up a few when I helped start the City Festival back in 1986.  That was another whole weird thing that created strange reactions from different segments of the community and perceived slights and insults from individuals along the way.   
            Soooo… I know how it feels to make people mad.  And if I’m being totally honest, some, perhaps much, not all, but a lot of that anger was deserved.  I made mistakes and misjudged the results or the unintended consequences of my actions.  I tried to learn from my mistakes and also made every attempt to not repeat the same mistakes.  I must admit, I had varied levels of success in how much hostility I garnered from those I had dealings with... “it’s easy to piss people off." That should be my motto or something…
        Oh, that reminds me… after one episode of pissing someone off, I decided I needed a special T-shirt design.  I went over to Embroidery Design and had a lovely flowery design embroidered with the words “I meant well” added underneath.  I wore that T-shirt every time I pissed someone off… I wore it so often it eventually just disintegrated – couldn’t even use it as a dust rag… ouch!
           I think I had a point… maybe it’s this.   It is unfortunate that my heater broke down in the shed and now I have to write in the living room…  And also, I feel empathy for Dr. Fauci – pandemics are awful.  It’s hard working with the public and it’s easy to piss people off. 
          I sincerely hope and pray for the safety of Dr. Fauci and his family.  I sincerely hope and pray that the GOP leadership morons work to calm their rhetoric and reduce the potential for violence against this dedicated public servant and his family.  
           And my last point.  Even if you piss someone off, it doesn’t give them the right to do violence or damage.  Someone I pissed off back in the late 80’s decided they would get even with me by killing four of my trees.  It made me think.  I actually paused to contemplate my life choices, but in the end, it didn’t stop me, I continued to make people mad for a few more decades.  I retired on my own timetable… you can’t give in to terrorists.  Hang in there, Dr. Fauci, and don’t let the morons get to you!