Sick at heart

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Edith Cook

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May 11, 2020, 5:56:24 PM5/11/20
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Dear Readers and Friends,


 I have been incommunicado, not because I am sick in body but because I sick at heart. And I am scared, scared out of my wits.


This is what the virus discrepancy looks like: The wealthy post images of the yachts and mountain homes in which their charmed lives exist in momentary seclusion; the poor can’t afford the internet connection that would permit their children to stick with schoolwork at home. This negligence toward the vulnerable among us has become so common, we hardly even take note any more--and yet, the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections and death among African-Americans are obscene. Entrenched inequities have long plagued communities of color; lack of health-care access and economic opportunity plus decades of discriminatory policies are just some of the factors playing into COVID-19 disparities.


United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is shocked by another kind of criminal negligence: the sharp rise in domestic violence amid global coronavirus lockdowns. Governments around the world must address the issue to lessen the effects of the pandemic, he urged. 


“For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest — in their own homes,” he said. “We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the past weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence.” 


Where are the emergency teams that tackle aggression and fear? Houses of worship have adapted to the need for virtual services. Where are the country’s social services, more needful than ever in this time of growing inequality? 


“I was on a book tour in California when the lockdown happened. Luckily I got to return to my home state,” emailed a writer friend. “Two weeks later my wife fell ill with a flu-like illness that lasted a month.” He wonders whether he brought the infection with him, though he remains asymptomatic. “No way to find out,” he writes. “Here in Texas, testing costs $150 per person.”


Experts warn that coronavirus deaths will continue to rise by the thousands in the United States, reports The Hill out of Washington D.C. Reopening their economies, as some states are now doing, entails huge risks from individuals complacent about the dangers that lie in wait. Further complicating factors: no precise guidelines have come from the federal government. The White House has suggested that states wanting to reopen their economies should first show a downward trajectory in infections and should have sufficient test kits, hospital equipment, and staff in place in the event of an upsurge, yet the president says he does not take responsibility if things derail; all decisions are left to state governors. Worse, a CDC guidance document, which the country’s top public-health experts worked at top speed to have ready for governors and mayors (and the public at large) was squashed by political appointees, supposedly because it is deemed “too specific.”  A statement that the advisory report “will never see the light of day” makes the news instead of the guidelines. The Associated Press obtained a copy from someone not authorized to dispense it before the White House objections arrived. It has published excerpts that are unlikely to be taken into consideration by people who deem it their First-Amendment right to oppose guidelines. They refuse to wear protective masks—but then, so does the U.S. President, even as members of his and the vice-president’s staff turn up sickened and infected.


Predictions are, the toll may be a high as three thousand deaths per day when businesses start to open before needed test kits and methods of contact-tracing are in place. Three thousand deaths per day! How do with live with this monster of a prospect?




Edith Cook
www.edithcook.com







Lynn Pahl

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May 12, 2020, 9:15:01 AM5/12/20
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Edith, I could not agree with more what is happening to our country under the current “leadership “ is totally disgusting. Even here in Cheyenne the people are not taking any thing seriously. I have had to go out a couple of times and found that I’m the only one wearing a mask, the business are in mask but the shoppers are not. Some of the people were laughing at me, Terri will not leave the house with how crazy these people are acting. We are living in a very sad time.
Say safe, Lynn

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On May 11, 2020, at 3:56 PM, Edith Cook <e104...@gmail.com> wrote:


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James Brandt

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May 12, 2020, 1:29:55 PM5/12/20
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I haven’t been to a store yet where less than ~50% of the customers were wearing a mask.  I don’t believe anyone has been to a store (with more than a couple customers at least, and been the only one wearing a mask).  I am becoming more convinced that this whole ordeal is a fraud.  The elderly, sick, and immune compromised need to shelter and be protected...same as with any other virus.  The rest of us need to get back to work and to living.  This is turning into a scheme to track people and control lives.  Our present “leadership” may be our only chance to avoid what a bunch of globalist, power hungry crooks have in store for us.  The numbers they are using to scare us have been very wrong (thankfully) and I’ve lost all faith in the global and federal health agencies.  They are all spearheaded by greedy corrupt crooks.  It is time to either wake up and resist or be herded into a corral.  Please choose the former.  James H Brandt

Sent from my iPhone

On May 12, 2020, at 7:15 AM, 'Lynn Pahl' via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Edith, I could not agree with more what is happening to our country under the current “leadership “ is totally disgusting. Even here in Cheyenne the people are not taking any thing seriously. I have had to go out a couple of times and found that I’m the only one wearing a mask, the business are in mask but the shoppers are not. Some of the people were laughing at me, Terri will not leave the house with how crazy these people are acting. We are living in a very sad time.

Lynne Sootheran

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May 12, 2020, 1:32:49 PM5/12/20
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I agree with everything you write. We are doing well here in Iowa. Planting our garden, staying put and enjoying the outdoors in safety. Lynne and Kent

jup...@aol.com

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May 13, 2020, 10:59:04 PM5/13/20
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Please, with your exposure to many people, help us do what we can, to get rid of Trump in November!  Thank you.  Nancy


Julia Allison

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May 14, 2020, 12:36:50 PM5/14/20
to Edith Cook
Dear Edith.....
Just for the record ...... I do not agree with ANYTHING you have written.  The cure has been FAR WORSE than the disease.
Thanks and cheers....
Julia

Jack

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May 14, 2020, 5:06:16 PM5/14/20
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Way I figure it, it’s bozos like this lady and the guy who who wrote the same message to Edith earlier who are going to get the old and frail like me killed. That’s gonna happen anyway, but it’s stupid to facilitate it. The disease is real, and these people are nothing but tra-la-la idiots. I’m sure their Trumpian fantasies include Mengelean fantasies. Maybe they should ask the 80,000 dead what they think. 

t12...@wbaccess.net

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May 14, 2020, 5:46:23 PM5/14/20
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“Those who shun prophylaxis are sooner to blame when afflicted.”

Warren Wendover: “Plague and Other Pastimes.”

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creamsaver

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May 14, 2020, 6:00:11 PM5/14/20
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Thank you Julia for your Voice  ..  ..  jmg

nancy white

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May 15, 2020, 10:15:10 AM5/15/20
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Name calling isn’t necessary.  Some folks simply do not understand.  They have to “live it” to understand.  Wyoming is mostly White, Wyoming has had few covid cases, so far, and Wyoming has no large meat processing plants that I know of. 

These folks feel their rights are infringed upon due to necessary precautions needed to prevent the spread of a severe illness.  However, they do not understand that by not taking precautions themselves, they infringe on others’ rights to remain healthy.  (Note – 1918 pandemic)

 

I like your ask the 80,000 dead comment.  But if the dead are not buried in their backyard, I doubt they believe the numbers.

They simply do not understand.  And that is scarey.

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

Barb GORGES

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May 15, 2020, 1:04:35 PM5/15/20
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I agree with Nancy. Ignoring the virus is like ignoring tornado warnings when all you can see in one direction is a sunny sky—you do so at your own risk. Except ignoring the virus also puts other people at risk.

Barb

Pat Duffy

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May 15, 2020, 1:17:45 PM5/15/20
to Edith Cook
Wait until CFD comes to town. Personally rather than 300,00+ we normally get across the 10 days maybe just 100,000 but even so coming from everywhere in the country we would have a wave of infections 2 weeks later. They need to cancel. Also with just 1/3rd the visitors odds are they would go bust due to lack of revenue yet huge bills to pay.

My wife is an ICU nurse and the last thing she needs is to be slammed with sick people on ventilators. My Brother-inlaw is really sick in the UK. 6 weeks now, 20 years younger than me and keen weighlifter. They are checking if his heart or otehr organs have been shot by this. He is 50/50 now on survival.

Patrick

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jup...@aol.com

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May 15, 2020, 9:18:31 PM5/15/20
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Wow, Edith!  You really do get responses from all the wack-o people!  Keep writing, Edith!  Nancy


Edith Cook

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May 16, 2020, 8:54:21 AM5/16/20
to edith-cook
Dear Friends and Readers,

Just to remind everyone: When you respond to my readers' group, your email goes to everyone, so no name-calling, please! If you need to vent, email me at e104...@gmail.com. I value all responses, whether they are critical or not, for I'm personally familiar with every writer, including people who email from other states.

One respondent, Jack Pugh, was a fellow columnist at Wyoming Tribune Eagle before it was absorbed by larger entity, let go its editor-in-chief, and quit paying local columnists. He is a former WY state legislator and has reason to be bitter--but, please, Jack, write to my personal email with grievances.

Note to out-of-state readers: CFD is Cheyenne Frontier Days, which is the last full week in July plus the weekend before and has evolved into hugely popular entertainment. We do not know whether it will be canceled--Greely Stampede announced some time ago that it's canceled. Many people hope that summer will bring relief from the virus spread, but experts warn not to count on it. Stay vigilant! Wear facemasks, refrain from touching your face, and wash hands often.

Patrick, my sympathies to your brother-in-law in his fight for survival. And thank you for sharing about the work of your ICU-Nurse wife, who, I'm sure, is in the thick of it--and very much at risk of exposure. 


Edith Cook
www.edithcook.com









Jack

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May 16, 2020, 9:50:17 AM5/16/20
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You realize, Edith, that your less than intelligent readers who deny the coronavirus seem perfectly willing to put an old man with a history of strokes and heart trouble—me, and the many like me--at risk of their lives. Perhaps your admonishments are misdirected.

 A dangerous behavior is a dangerous behavior, and no amount of courtesy or coddling can change that. Their insincere tears at our funerals would be small consolation. These people need to be taken by the scruff of the neck and have some sense shaken into them. Perhaps the 80,000 plus who have died from this disease deserve a better memorial than that provided by these deniers. Ditto the nut cases on the capitol steps with their guns and flags and silly preening.

For the record, I never got paid for the columns I wrote, five years’ worth, except for three of them. I gave the money to the immigrant families from Mexico. They bought groceries with it. I quit the column when I could no longer type correctly, and frankly, because I got tired of it. I’m typing this screed with one finger, for example. I’m not sure why you make a comment like “has reason to be bitter”; bitter has nothing to do with it. Anger at the virus deniers does. And if you’re not angry at these people then you aren’t listening to them. I will be glad to provide an explanation for those of your readers who do not understand the difference between “bitter” and “angry”. Your task as the wordsmith here is to use them correctly.

Here’s a deal: drop me off your mailing list. I’m not sure how I got on it, frankly, but I don’t need to be. Reading this exchange is the first one I’ve read in some time. So make us both happy.









Barbara Parsons

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May 16, 2020, 10:58:34 AM5/16/20
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I don’t know you very well, but I enjoy reading your comments. I’m not going to call anybody by name good or bad but it makes me very sad that some people aren’t capable of higher level thinking.

Barbara Parsons


On May 16, 2020, at 7:50 AM, Jack <lobo...@centurylink.net> wrote:

 You realize, Edith, that your less than intelligent readers who deny the coronavirus seem perfectly willing to put an old man with a history of strokes and heart trouble—me, and the many like me--at risk of their lives. Perhaps your admonishments are misdirected.

Rodger M

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May 16, 2020, 11:24:54 AM5/16/20
to edith...@googlegroups.com
I am not sure how anyone can read what you wrote here and find themselves unable to agree “with ANYTHING you have written.” I find nothing with which to disagree. My sermon tomorrow is about the spiritual harm being inflicted on our people by those who lie and those who are willing to accept the lies. The absence of truth is at the core of racism, xenophobia, misogyny. It is what allows corrupt, authoritarian politicans to rise to power. It is what killed 58,000 US soldiers in Vietnam and the vast majority of those who nearly 90K who have died in the last few months of COVID-19.

In this politically polluted and hopelessly divided nation, Edith, you cannot tell the truth without offending those who don’t or won’t know it.

Be well my friend and keep writing

Rodger





t12...@wbaccess.net

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May 16, 2020, 12:14:36 PM5/16/20
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Hyperventilating—particularly in the presence of viruses adds new peril. 

 

Anthem for the anti-social, from Newley/Bricusse (Stop the World--1962):

Mumbo Jumbo, rhubarb rhubarb

Up your flubarb, Liberty Hall.

And, dear friends, if I'm elected,

I'm all right, Jack--screw you all!

 

Let’s move on.

😊

 

From: edith...@googlegroups.com <edith...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Jack
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2020 7:50 AM
To: edith...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [edith-cook] Sick at heart

 

You realize, Edith, that your less than intelligent readers who deny the coronavirus seem perfectly willing to put an old man with a history of strokes and heart trouble—me, and the many like me--at risk of their lives. Perhaps your admonishments are misdirected.

 

 A dangerous behavior is a dangerous behavior, and no amount of courtesy or coddling can change that. Their insincere tears at our funerals would be small consolation. These people need to be taken by the scruff of the neck and have some sense shaken into them. Perhaps the 80,000 plus who have died from this disease deserve a better memorial than that provided by these deniers. Ditto the nut cases on the capitol steps with their guns and flags and silly preening.

 

For the record, I never got paid for the columns I wrote, five years’ worth, except for three of them. I gave the money to the immigrant families from Mexico. They bought groceries with it. I quit the column when I could no longer type correctly, and frankly, because I got tired of it. I’m typing this screed with one finger, for example. I’m not sure why you make a comment like “has reason to be bitter”; bitter has nothing to do with it. Anger at the virus deniers does. And if you’re not angry at these people then you aren’t listening to them. I will be glad to provide an explanation for those of your readers who do not understand the difference between “bitter” and “angry”. Your task as the wordsmith here is to use them correctly.

 

Here’s a deal: drop me off your mailing list. I’m not sure how I got on it, frankly, but I don’t need to be. Reading this exchange is the first one I’ve read in some time. So make us both happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On May 16, 2020, at 6:54 AM, Edith Cook <e104...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

Dear Friends and Readers,

 

Just to remind everyone: When you respond to my readers' group, your email goes to everyone, so no name-calling, please! If you need to vent, email me at e104...@gmail.com. I value all responses, whether they are critical or not, for I'm personally familiar with every writer, including people who email from other states.

 

One respondent, Jack Pugh, was a fellow columnist at Wyoming Tribune Eagle before it was absorbed by larger entity, let go its editor-in-chief, and quit paying local columnists. He is a former WY state legislator and has reason to be bitter--but, please, Jack, write to my personal email with grievances.

 

Note to out-of-state readers: CFD is Cheyenne Frontier Days, which is the last full week in July plus the weekend before and has evolved into hugely popular entertainment. We do not know whether it will be canceled--Greely Stampede announced some time ago that it's canceled. Many people hope that summer will bring relief from the virus spread, but experts warn not to count on it. Stay vigilant! Wear facemasks, refrain from touching your face, and wash hands often.

 

Patrick, my sympathies to your brother-in-law in his fight for survival. And thank you for sharing about the work of your ICU-Nurse wife, who, I'm sure, is in the thick of it--and very much at risk of exposure. 


Image removed by sender.

Edith Cook
www.edithcook.com

 






 

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Barbara Parsons

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May 16, 2020, 12:32:34 PM5/16/20
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Jack-thought I would let you know Bill died in January of complications of a stroke.  The night you two sat up discussing the ills of the world over several beers remained a fond memory of his.  I'm not sure if you ever talked again, but that remained a memory.
EDITH
The more I thought about this interchange with Jack the more upset I became.  
First of all, remarks to Jack were patronizing and rather belittling.  
My husband and I were involved in education in one way or another all our lives.  
Those who wouldn't learn/ denied science and other accepted facts-- FAILED.  Now, those who are being politically correct are telling us to tolerate and sometimes encourage ignorance and selfish behavior.  When we do we endanger all of us. 
Climate change deniers are refusing to take care of this vast ecosystem we share.
Anti vaxers are endangering themselves, their children and undoing the herd protection that was protecting all of us.  Measles is back.  What next? All because they don't believe in science.
Now they are saying they won't mask, practice social distancing and whatever based on their religious/political beliefs to help keep all of us safer from Covid 19.  They say they won't vaccinate when available. No one is going to make them do anything.  They have the constitutional right to be selfish etc. 
Guns are packed at demonstrations etc. to show how powerful and intimidating they are in their ignorance.
Then you chastise Jack and tell us to play nice in the playground with all these time bombs running around out there. 
For all you folks who believe in God etc. based on faith, not science.  That is fine, it does seem pretty logical.  But, then you turn around and deny proven science????????
Saw a pertinent remark the other day on Facebook.  Folks were proclaiming that God will protect them from Covid 19.  But, they are packing AK15's because they need to be protected? 
As I encouraged folks earlier, those who have them, engage your higher level thinking skills and lead the way with responsible behavior.  
And Edith, you probably need to remove me from the mailing list too.  Jack is dead on.


Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2020 7:50 AM

Alan Hart

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May 17, 2020, 3:57:43 PM5/17/20
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jup...@aol.com

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May 18, 2020, 11:01:09 AM5/18/20
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Yay!!   If I could have found some way to hear your sermon, I would have done it!  Nancy


Wadochi

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May 18, 2020, 1:12:18 PM5/18/20
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As aBrit living here for 17 years I don't know what to think about this country that was once so great. DJT is a laughing stock now amongst most world leaders. But what gets me is the things people feel entitled to say to me when they don't even know me. They try to lecture me about the "Muslim mayor" of London or the Queen "planned Diana's " murder. Conspiracies seem to rule. Trump encourages them. We have our own wing nuts in the U.K. but at least they are not armed. 

I was a Thatcherite conservative. I am a certified firearms instructor and half the people who own guns don't know how to use them and another 25% are downright dangerous. People who approach me for lessons mostly just want to get a piece of paper for a concealed permit. I turn them away.


Regards

Patrick Duffy
http://www.facebook.com/patrick.duffy.wadochi
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James Brandt

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May 22, 2020, 10:01:30 PM5/22/20
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Sent from my iPhone

On May 18, 2020, at 9:01 AM, jupearl via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



James Brandt

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May 22, 2020, 10:25:26 PM5/22/20
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I wonder if the higher thinking and holier than thou people remember the reason for social isolation and closing schools, businesses, churches, and most everything else not run by a mega corporation?  It was never intended to prevent cases of Covid 19, only to slow down the infection rate so as not to overwhelm the medical providers.  It was clearly stated that the same percentage of people would contract the virus, either way, just at a different rate.  A certain percentage of people will contract this virus just like any other.  Only complete and careful very long isolation will lessen anyone’s chances of being exposed.  Luckily we live in a sparsely populated state which improves our odds.  We followed the mandates and flattened the curve.  Now some people want to demonstrate their power and control us.  I’m not liking my free trial of socialism and will fight it to the end.  I’m sure some of those in power are delighted with the size of the sheeple herd.  Without a lot of proof in it’s safety, I won’t be taking Bill Gates’ or anyone else’s vaccine either.  I wish you all good health.

Sent from my iPhone

On May 18, 2020, at 9:01 AM, jupearl via Edith S. Cook <edith...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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