Some random thoughts about the news

I see this morning that the delta variant of Covid now accounts for over 98 percent of all new infections. I know the "rules" for this are unclear but doesn't it seem like we can return to simply calling the virus Covid? Maybe we can't add the "19" that we began with some 18 months ago, but at some point, when a disease completely takes over from some earlier version, why not just simplify our language. In other words, the governor of Texas has a "breakthrough" infection of Covid. OF COURSE it's the delta "flavor," since the "alpha" has been replaced.

I read that many school districts are claiming that they simply can NOT enforce face mask mandates. Those same school officials don't seem to have any trouble enforcing OTHER dress code mandates, particularly for young women. I would think that an administrator who can quickly decide that some spaghetti straps are too thin could just as quickly notice a mask improperly worn. 

There are parent protests in front of school board offices all over the country, most protesting the "child abuse" of making kids up to age 12 wear masks at school. I'm going to guess that those same parents don't let their kids wander their communities without adults around and that they have spent a significant percentage of their parenting lives making their homes and yards as safe as possible. Better to be safe than sorry, you know? But in this one instance they insist that their children be exposed to a disease that might -- and it's likely a very small percentage who will suffer -- infect their children and cause anything from mere discomfort to hospitalization to death. If that's not love, what is?

Every pundit and politician in the country is jumping on President Biden for overseeing the chaos and fear now overwhelming Afghanistan. On the other hand, over 70 percent of American citizens are in agreement with getting out. Look, we can call our withdrawal a defeat or simply giving up, but all the hand-wringing over the "poor women and girls" and "our loyal allies among the populace" seems like the sort of thing people do to cover up our apathy and ignorance for most of the past 20, much like our revulsion over first graders being murdered in Connecticut. America is officially "short attention span theater."

I read that Oklahoma Senator Jim Imhofe is now claiming that he never called climate change a hoax. But in 2021 he published a book called “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future.” I see that the former president is demanding that Biden resign in disgrace for the messy withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He was bragging about the withdrawal deal his administration brokered at one of his rallies as recently as in May. We live in a country where lots and lots of people just don't care about outright lies from leaders. So why would they ever stop with the Big Lies?

When our news is filled with hypocrisy and inconsistencies, does anyone care. Or even notice?