From Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Kahn

Kirk: How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?

We have had a lot of death recently, a fucking lot. This year has been a reminder of TC’s death and has been odd. I often think of him. I also think of my friends that have gone to the great beyond ahead of me. I have been like this since I joined the Army at 17.

For the country, it started when religious extremists decided to slam planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and into a field in Pennsylvania (which we are sure was headed somewhere far more noteworthy). As a country, we were pissed and were deploying the 18th Airborne corps in a few hours to Afghanistan.

Later, while still pissed, we decided to go into Iraq for what is assumed to be unfinished business. I am saying this from a non-partisan standpoint. The country supported the action taken at the time, we were pissed, and we were going to take our massive military might over there and ruin someone’s day.

Don’t be goaded into believing the “woke” crowd; we supported it as a population (like over 70% then less when we started up about Iraq. It was our bloodshed on our soil, so, “let’s fuck someone up.” This will be important shortly.

I find it a quirky side of politics that has folks trying to promote someone as “prowar” who voted for the military authorization. I was there, not too long out of the Army, I was pretty anti-war and military action, because I was/am. Hey, when you are the dude or dudette who has to fight, you have some solid opinions about giving your life for your country. Trust me, we all don’t run into a hail of bullets like idiots do in Call of Duty. I didn’t say anything at the time because, hey, someone needs to pay for that shit. My reaction was in the moment and far more visceral. If you are pissed about Afghanistan and Iraq’s start nearly 20 years later, you are using different optics on these conflicts. Once again, not right or wrong, just different, and an optic that does not fit for that time. After it all, we thought Bush the second would be the worst president we have seen…oops, not so fast.

Now 20 years later, we have people screaming about their rights and why we don’t end this threat, maybe because Covid isn’t brown? While that is a “baiting” statement, there is some truth to the fact that we can’t abuse it and retaliate against it. We have another inept president that is failing to deal with this pandemic. Neither president was very effective in their handling of any kind of disaster (including their presidencies).

A fuck ton (that’s more than a shit ton and way more than a short ton) of people have died from a virus that could have been contained and shut down way the fuck back in March. We could have taken the 9/11 attitude towards it and just stomped on it. We should have unleashed the CDC and the public health departments like the 18th Airborne corps on OBL. Some governors tried to respond aggressively and were met with Karens and Chads, who, while initially seeming to abide by the regulations, soon became entitled when the virus wasn’t contained in 72 hours. We all sacrificed a lot after 9/11 for an improved feeling of safety; here, instead of a few thousand people in harm’s way, we now have the whole world in harm’s way—millions of times what the WTC attacks did.

We romanticize 9/11 to an almost unhealthy degree because it was a huge event and its very recent

Covid, like 9/11, requires sacrifice. When 9/11 hit, we sucked up increased government oversight, although many of us were gravely concerned about the patriot act and allowed it. We let restrictions on our rights and liberties occur without batting an eye for less than 5000 dead. We’ve sent two and in some cases, almost three generations to war over the attacks with losses in the several thousand in both civilian and military casualties.

Yes, it takes sacrifice from many folks, except no one wants to step up. And when asked to step up and deal with it, folks whined like a bunch of toddlers about their rights, etc. We have nearly 200,000 dead (many times the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing wars). We have toddleresque behavior, chucklefucks that are up in peoples’ faces about masks, and worst outright denial from the president that this is serious. “Well, I didn’t want to cause panic.” Yeah, kinda like me not wanting to cause panic, so I don’t tell a patient about their cancer diagnosis, and when they die, I say to the family, “well, I didn’t want to panic you.” Yeah, I would be out of a job and sued quite quickly by chucklefucks like the president.

I wonder if we are going to look back on the virus like this. Are we going to say that “trying to prevent panic was ok?” Idiots up in arms about fucking Applebees and haircuts. Willing to carry assault rifles and no masks to protest their “rights.” Are we going to be mortified that we had the chance to stop this and responded with inaction or hell even denial? This same group of chucklefucks was indifferent about the patriot act because they didn’t have to do anything except lay back and think of whatever they fantasize about while they are getting screwed.

The simple reason for pursuing OBL and going on into Iraq is the same reason we are trying to ignore or deny Covid. If you haven’t guessed it, its green and rectangular, money. We made money on rebuilding Iraq (well, not me but someone far more sinister). In the initial stages, locking down for the virus was ok-ish, until the president’s friends (and some enemies) started losing money and called that they needed workers back. Restrictions immediately lifted because someone wasn’t making money.

Well, I am back to my downtime. Be the kind of person your dog and your mom hope you are.