Not Just in My Little World

I have been writing about our day to day life, our family events, and my reading--which takes up too much of my time.  But so much is happening in the world beyond our apartment walls and it is disturbing and sad and should be recorded.  

Covid continues to be a factor in life.  Our son related that his office mate tested positive.  Our grandson came home from a high school trip in which a few classmates and a staff member tested positive.  Inflation is at record highs which may have many causes but one is certainly covid supply chain issues.  We continue to wear our masks in public.  

The war in Ukraine has gone on for over 100 days.  It shows no sign of ending soon and the fear is of escalation.  Ukraine is begging for more weapons.  If there are more provided that threaten Russia, how will Russia retaliate?  The sad thing is that the horrors of war are not even the lead stories lately. People in Ukraine are suffering so much loss. 

The lead stories have been the unbelievable gun violence in many places. One of the worst was the supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York which was racially motivated.  And then with even worse carnage, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in a 4th grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas--a name that will live in infamy like Sandy Hook or Columbine.  There are some signs that Congress will pass minimal gun safety laws--laws that could have saved lives if passed long ago.

And then there are the January 6 hearings televised this week with 20 million viewers for the first one during prime time.  This morning there was another at 10 am and there will be several more.  The Congressional panel called on several members of Donald Trump's staff to show that he was told emphatically that he had lost the election. He however continued to say he won and to encourage the violence of the insurrection we witnessed on January 6. When I despair about the future of our democracy, I try to remember that in the wee hours of January 7, Joseph Biden was confirmed as our next president by Congress and a courageous and bold Mike Pence, the vice-president in charge,  and that he was inaugurated on January 20 without incident.  

 The point of these hearings is to ensure that such an attempted coup will never happen again.  Whether criminal charges for people in government will ensue is uncertain.  Hundreds have been indicted among the rioters and some have pleaded guilty.   Others are being tried in jury or bench trials.  Some nominees for offices are still looking for Trump's endorsement and are continuing to say the election of President Biden was stolen.  Hearing Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr say that he told then President Trump that his saying he won was nonsense--actually he put it more forcefully in graphic, crass language-- has been so honest and revealing.