My Daily Struggle in the COVID-19 Lockdown

 Another interesting, eventful week. Where do I start? First, there's the death of the one of the most powerful nursemaids to leftist radicals, Supreme Court "Justice" Ginsberg. Okay, to be fair, she has done some good things and have made a few positive changes. Still, to a person who believes that life begins at conception, that sexuality is a private issue alone, and that small minorities should not force their issues on the majority (with a few exceptions), some of her rulings are an affront to morality, freedom, and even nature. That being said, I found it interesting how people showed disrespect to Ginsberg and other mourners by booing the President when he came to her casket. The irony is, if he did not come to honor her memory, people would have booed him for not coming. With leftist radicals, you cannot win.  As for him nominating a candidate to take over  Ginsberg's place, good for him! We need an even balance of liberalism and conservatism in the Supreme Co...

Another eventful week. First, America is seeing an increase in states turning into hotspots. Except for New York, these are states that did not take the pandemic seriously. So far, thankfully, this is not much of an issue in Illinois. We are still in Phase 4, which allows us to enjoy the summer provided we use social distancing (or, as The Wife calls it, "physical distancing"). In fact, we went to a restaurant for the first time in months yesterday! Another beacon of hope: scientists found a COVID-19 vaccine this week, and it passed its first test! Sure, nothing is final, but a glimmer of hope is still hope. We are closer to the end of this pandemic now than we were months ago. Rejoice! Now for some unpleasant news. The savage rioters are at it again. They have destroyed church statues, Confederate statues, and they are now going after Christopher Columbus statues--specifically, the one in Chicago's Grant Park. Personally, I despise Christopher Columbus, and I ...

Things are getting gradually better COVID-19 wise. In addition to the Phase 4 beginning, the governor decided to reopen schools for the fall semester. As for the states that did not take this seriously, they are raising restrictions again. Indeed, we should be taking this seriously, but we should not use this virus to oppress others and limit their freedom. We should also not be so afraid that we surrender our rights and freedoms. If we give up our rights and freedoms for security, all three will eventually be taken from us, and rightly so. It would appear that we are getting the repercussions from the riots which I knew would come. First, there are stories of police officers and private individuals who advocate killing, even via massacre, of African Americans. Furthermore, there was a news story of teachers taking a photograph whilst holding a noose, plus nooses just happening to appear in broad daylight. Then, there was the story of a young biracial woman who was attacked in her ca...

Well, the fun continues! Some overly sensitive people, in response to the riots, felt that it was time to retire two common American logos: Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben.They think that they are offensive and it is time to "evolve" their logos. Look at these. Do they look stereotypical? Do they look offensive? Of course, the origin of the titles Aunt and Uncle were offensive. In Jim Crow South, if a White person wanted to be "polite" to an elderly African-American man or woman, he would not call them sir or ma'am, so the only other option was to call the woman Aunt or Auntie and to call the man Uncle. Granted, Aunt Jemima's origins are racist. For generations, they have shown her logo looking like an ugly mammy. In fact, one logo showed her with the pancake flour on her face to make her look paler, while the one that stuck the longest had her with looking less stereotypical but with the same kerchief on her head and with mild blackface.         Since ...

Last week of work before vacation. Huzzah! I'll still go to my Saturday job, though. That's a cakewalk compared to social work, and I get free pastries! I probably should go easy on the pastries though. I already have the gut of a woman who is 5 months pregnant. Just kidding! I bought my tickets to the monastery, I confirmed my itinerary with the Reverend Father, and it is all settled. It is going to be great to get away for a few days, to be in the middle on nowhere and commune with the Lord in contemplation and reflection. In actuality, I knew about this place for over 10 years, but this is my first time going. It was my plan that, if I were not married by 40, I would settle all debts and join a Lutheran monastery. Well, that didn't happen, but the principles of a monk have not really departed from me. In fact, I consider myself sort of an independent friar. Both monks and friars take similar vows, but friars do not separate themselves from society. Instead, they serv...

Have you ever seen a family of geese? There is a retention pond close to my home, and for the past month, I see a goose family always walking together and eating from the ground. The father goose walks ahead of them all. He is the protector. The gander usually walks right behind the father goose. Her head is usually to the ground, and she usually shows her goslings where to find food. Then there are six goslings following their mother. I enjoy driving by the pond to watch them. There is a man named Jason who works for my village. He also goes to watch them, and so does his father. They will even give them an entire loaf of bread to eat. Nice to see people enjoying the simpler things in life. It's a joy to watch the goslings grow bigger and more grayish brown every day, casting off their fuzzy yellow coat. I wonder how much longer until they are adults. Will they stick close to their parents, or will they fly away to find their own ponds? In thinking about the riots, I have ...

Today was fine for a Monday. There are still protests going on, but thankfully, there are no riots. The National Guard did a good job of eradicating the violence. If only they called sooner, especially in Minneapolis. That city is wrecked. Some of the protesters are still demanding the defunding of the police force. Now the Mayor of New York, De Blasio, has promised to give them what they want. Yes, you read that correctly. The Mayor of New York plans to defund law enforcement. First, that is not a call he can make. He can recommend and sign bills into law, but it is up to the Council to make such laws. Either he is too easily slept away by emotions, or he remembers that he is up to reelection. At any rate, his ability to show leadership is constantly found wanting. He cares only about pleasing lobbyists and cultural elites. His regime as of late has only fostered division instead of unity. For a large and overcrowded city like New York, reducing the police force will only create dis...

Another sad day. As I went to an outreach client's house, I saw people boarding up their businesses on Division Street. On Division and Paulina, I saw that the Target was boarding their windows a few hours too late. I also saw on Ashland, where my client gets his medicine and household goods, with all of its windows shattered. On the I-90/94, there was an influx of graffiti, especially the initial VTC, which I have learned means Vandalize the City. I had to pull over to restrain my emotions. Alas, I was on the job, and I am tired, damn tired, of shedding tears. Yes, today I wept for Lady Chicago. I have always loved her, even though I had to leave her. Lady Chicago has a unique beauty, a style, a flair, and an abundance of class. Sadly over the years, corporations, corrupt politicians, and rebels with false causes have seduced my first love, promising her power and eternal fame. So, she turned away from the family that built and nurtured her and the lover that protected her and l...

This has been quite a day. First, Jewel was several hours late with groceries for my site because ten people allegedly called off today. While that is a shame, someone should have called me. Instead, their workers kept telling me that the groceries would be ready "in ten minute. Instead, they had to deliver groceries to my site after 7:30. This is the third time they have done this to me, and the last. I shall simply find another location to patronize. Well, there seems to be good new and bad news. The good news, that pig Chauvin was finally arrested and charged with murder. The bad news? They forget to arrest his accomplices. After all, they could have helped Lloyd, but they just stood there while Chauvin murdered Lloyd. The are accessories to murder, and they should be arrested also. More bad news? Minneapolis is burning, and the 3rd precinct police station was burned to the ground. I even read about how an African -American man had saved for a sports bar and was about to open...

Macchiavelli. Those who have taken Humanities in college have learned at least a little about Niccolo Machiavelli. He was a Renaissance diplomat who taught his contemporaries how to maintain power yet extend mercy and reason. One thing I remember most about him is how he asserts it is better to be feared than hated, which is why you can execute a man's father for a petty crime, and he might forgive you as long as you leave his inheritance alone. Hence, Machiavelli was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He was ruled by reason. I have seen little pragmatism in the George Lloyd matter this week. Before I continue, I want to commend the many police chiefs across the country who have condemned this hate crime and called it what it is: murder. Now, I wish to denounce Hal Marx, the mayor of Petal, Mississippi, who said, "if you can talk, you can breathe," referring to George Lloyd's last words. Has this man even graduated high school? Seriously?! It does not take an asth...

I am going to digress a from my usual topic to discuss a topic that has really upset me. By now, you know what I am talking about when I tell you about the name George Lloyd and the city Minneapolis. This is a man who was murdered by Derek Chauvin, the Klansman in blue, in broad daylight and on film. Yes, he was resisting arrest. Yes, he probably was passing counterfeit bills. Still, there are ways a belligerent perpetrator can be detained and transported without chokeholds, which have been proven to be unnecessary and deadly. I have even seen footage of a man with a weapon apprehended without injury to either party. Therefore, there is no reason an unarmed man should be killed by one officer, with the blessing of three other officers. There is no reason why a cop should kneel on a man for five minutes, FIVE MINUTES, especially when the man stops resisting. Especially when he is pleading for his life, saying "I can't breathe! Everything hurts!" Don't believe me? Wat...