Crime and Comparison

Greetings from my living room, where it is a sunny morning.  Mr. Bookcharmer has taken the stairs to his office and I'll commence working downstairs after this post and my second cup of coffee.  There is so much to say about the pandemic, but I have two points to make today. 

I had been waiting since the beginning of 45's "presidency" for the moment when he would simply give up and walk away, publicly and on camera, from responsibility.  I knew it would happen, and Monday May 8th it did.  It has been well documented by the world's press that after three female journalists asked him actual questions instead of letting his gaslighting continue that he turned his back and walked off.  Let's have a few descriptions of the event, The Intercept covered it well:

"The president’s meltdown came after Jiang put him on the spot by asking him why he was boasting about the United States having now performed more coronavirus tests than any other nation. “Why does that matter?” she asked. “Why is this global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we’re still seeing more cases every day?”

The president responded by lashing out at the Chinese-American reporter from West Virginia, telling her, nonsensically, that she should “ask China” her question about his obsession with testing statistics. Trump then tried to end the exchange by calling on Collins for a new question, as the White House staff cut off the mic so that Jiang’s response could not be heard, but the CNN reporter waited for her colleague from CBS to get a chance to follow up.

Jiang — who was the target of a racist joke by a White House official in March — pressed Trump on the thinly veiled racism of his reply. “Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically, that I should ask China?” she asked, after the mic had been reactivated. After Trump replied by claiming that he would say the same “to anybody that asks a nasty question like that,” he pointed at Collins and said, “Please go ahead.”

Collins, however, again waited for Jiang to finish, which she did, by saying, “That’s not a nasty question. Why does it matter?”

Trump then tried to punish Collins by skipping her and calling on Alcindor to ask the next question instead. When Collins objected, “but you called on me,” Trump said, “I did and you didn’t respond, and now I’m calling on the young lady in the back.”

Alcindor wrote later on Twitter that instead of jumping in, she gestured at Collins to proceed. When she tried to, after saying, “I just wanted to let my colleague finish,” Trump threw up his hands in frustration, declared the event over and turned on his heels."

See the whole piece at https://theintercept.com/2020/05/12/two-female-reporters-refused-let-trump-bully-silence-ran-away/

So there it was, the public moment of walking away from his sworn duty.  What I found interesting is that no one in his office dared to step up to the podium and try to rescue the moment.  No "let me take that question" or "let's take a break and resume."  Nope.  That's it, just walking away.

In contrast, here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom gives a daily livestreamed press conference.  He speaks on the latest statistics and plans, turns the microphone over to experts for them to speak on topics of their speciality, and follows up with questions.  I'll confess I am agog over this Governor who speaks with gravity and concern each day and can answer any question with confidence and absolutely no aggression.  Questions clearly designed to provoke him are me with a slight nod and an even tempered response. 

So among the many questions buzzing in my head:  how and why can things be so different on opposite sides of my country.  Both 45 and California's governor are white men.  Both are business men.  Both have families.  Yet one flees from hard questions and one submits to them gracefully.

I recently finished reading Robert Caro's memoir Working and am planning to get my hands on his book The Power Broker.  At this time, as at all times, the understanding of power, and how power is gained and wielded has profound consequences for our ourselves and our communities.

Ok, coffee's finished and I need to commute to the other side of the living room to my work set-up.  'Til next time, your Bookcharmer.

I Love You, California

I love you, California, and I've never been more worried about the present and the future.  I was bobbing along with the other people concerned about environmental impact due to development and climate change and then...just days ago you caught on fire in Malibu down south and Butte county up North and now I put on a face mask to go outside.

What.  Is.  Happening. 

The official state song is a frilly ditty called "I Love You, California" which dates back to 1915, have a look and a listen on the State Library home page:

http://www.library.ca.gov/california-history/state-symbols/

California is the redwood trees in my neighborhood, the lemon tree in my backyard.  It is the scent of sage plants and eucalyptus trees.  It is pelicans flying in formation or resting on a dock.  The sun setting over the Pacific, the cooling fog that wraps the Golden Gate.

I hate to hear about anyplace being consumed by fire, but my heart aches as I see the ash of lives and homes from neighbors up North hanging in air.

We will need to grieve, and to help our neighbors.  And to maximize your gifts, please keep in mind what rescuers are asking for, which is money not items.  If you have food or clothing that you wish to donate, find out what your local food pantry or clothing drive needs.   There are many articles stating that the cost of storing donated goods becomes a burden, and that is already happening in Butte County.  Right now people need money to buy food, pay for shelter, and replace critical items like medicine. 

If you want to give, here are places vetted by Charity Navigator:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=5456

I also want to signal boost the work being done by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and their emergency response team that is assisting animals from koi to horses:

https://give.ucdavis.edu/VETM/V435VRT

2018 has unraveled in an ongoing array of environmental calamities, and the final count of the lives and homes lost in Butte County is not yet in.  Right now we need to help, and to grieve, but then we need to plan for ways to live and grow that are not setting up entire towns for future disaster.

I love you, California, I do, and we need to better by the planet and each other.