Every Day

John Prine.
Adam Schleshinger. 
Terrence McNally. 
I could go on and on.
But at this moment I would rather not.
Today is Memorial Day, and the history of the holiday suggests that we should honor our war dead. Our "president" recently declared that we are all warriors. I'm not sure how his vision of conscientious objection figures in here, but I am not sure how I feel about going into battle without a vaccine. Or a mask.
As we creep ever closer to one hundred thousand Americans who have died in just a few months, I feel it is vital that we take more than a moment to reflect on lives lost. Not just the musicians and the playwrights. Not just the celebrities. Mothers. Fathers. Sisters. Brothers. Family and friends. Acquaintances and colleagues. And yes, we are currently talking about a tiny percentage of Americans who have succumbed to the virus we call by so many names. More American lives than we lost in two decades in Vietnam. When all is said and done, we will most likely double that total in less than six months. Vietnam was a shooting war, by the way. Combatants were armed.
We are not.
Sure, we have our defenses, but the powers that be seem to be anxious to see how we could do without them. Not many days pass without a thousand people dying here in the United States. Sometimes more. Funerals and memorial services are being held virtually as we continue to keep our distance from the disease and each other. Families are saying goodbye to their loved ones on Zoom. The "president" announced that he would lower flags at all federal buildings and national monuments to half staff over the next three days in the memory of Americans lost to corona-Covid-Sars-flu. Monday the flags will remain at half staff in tribute to the veterans who have lost their lives. No word yet about what to do about the folks who died from the virus in veterans hospitals. Maybe the flag just goes down all the way.
Meanwhile, good people across the globe are dying.
Remember them every day.