Wednesday, October 07, 2020

What Comes Before A Fall?

 Okay, so like the man said, "Here's the deal." If the most closely watched bubble in the world can be penetrated by coronavirus, then maybe there's something else at work. The "president" of the United States had enough arrogance to imagine that just because he gets tested all the time. Except when he didn't. Like just before the first presidential debate. And then it turns out that maybe it would have been a good idea to test him even more often because he ended up spreading COVID-19 across his staff an family while sealed in Air Force One on the trip back from Cleveland. 

How could this happen? Well, how about a singular insistence that masks were not necessary. Even though he told Bob Woodward "It's more deadly than even your strenuous flus." That was back on February 7. So, armed with this knowledge and with state of the art medical attention, he still managed to contract this deadly virus. And give it to his friends and family. 

Then he went ahead to New Jersey and pressed the proverbial flesh with his supporters at a fundraiser. Without masks. Moving around in a cloud of germs reminiscent of the cloud of dust that hovers around Pig Pen in Peanuts. As if this were business as usual. 

As if.

Meanwhile, we are asked to respect the gravity of the situation: The "president" of these United States has fallen ill. Show some respect. Show some respect to the man who made fun of his opponent back in 2016 when Hillary Clinton collapsed due to the effects of pneumonia. The man who ridiculed Joe Biden for his mask wearing habit just hours before the "president" became his own personal hot zone. 

Surprised? Why should we be? During a global pandemic, the kind of risky behavior exhibited by someone who had been told that there was a deadly airborne virus is nothing short of the definition of hubris. 

Look it up. I'll wait. 

Back in the days of the ancient Greeks, the gods did not suffer that kind of foolishness gladly. Names like Ajax, Oedipus, and Orestes spring to mind. While we're at it, go ahead and add Donald J. Trump to that list. Nor surprises here. 

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