Recent articles I recommend….
—One Year, 400,000 Coronavirus Deaths: How the U.S. Guaranteed Its Own Failure 1/17/21 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/us/covid-deaths-2020.html
—C.D.C. Warns the New Virus Variant Could Fuel Huge Spikes in Covid-19 Cases 1/15/21 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/health/covid-cdc-variant.html
—How Much COVID-19 You’re Exposed To Matters. Here’s How To Reduce It. 1/15/21 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-much-covid-exposed-matters_l_5ffef16cc5b6c77d85ebca97
—One Mask Is Good. Would Two Be Better? 1/12/21 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/health/coronavirus-masks-transmission.html
—Moderna doesn’t expect Covid vaccine data for young children until 2022, CEO says 1/11/21 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/11/covid-vaccine-moderna-doesnt-expect-data-for-young-children-this-year.html
—Along with vaccine rollouts, the U.S. needs a National Hi-Fi Mask Initiative 1/7/21 https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/07/national-hi-fi-mask-initiative-needed-with-vaccine-rollouts/
—We’re entering year two of the pandemic. Here’s what happens next. 1/5/21 https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/us/coronavirus-pandemic-year-two-trnd/index.html
Insurrection. Impeachment. Mutant Covid strains. Sudden vaccine shortage. Local roadblocks. Lakeway considering killing our deer again. 2021 is just FULL of surprises, so far….
The Election and Insurrection
Everyone knows Dec. 7 is the day that will live in infamy, due to the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan in WWII. Well, Jan. 6 is the day that will live in ignominy, due to Trump’s MAGA thugs. America has never been so shamed.
The good news is that Biden-Harris were duly certified by Congress on Jan. 6 as having won the November 3 electoral college vote, and they will be sworn in on Jan. 20.
The bad news came just as America is scraping Trump off its heel, as he redefined “sore loser” by inciting a riot at his Jan. 6 (“You’ve gotta come. It will be wild.”) rally. After spouting his usual “they stole the election” lies, he sent his MAGA hoard to the Capitol to “stop the steal” and “fight” and “take back the country.” (Trump promised to come with them–“I’ll be there with you.” He lied. Duh.) The mob followed his instructions. They erected a gallows and chanted “hang Pence” and “kill Pelosi.” They brought guns and zip-tie handcuffs. They planted pipe bombs on Capitol grounds. Breaking windows and bashing in doors, they soon overcame a pathetically (and suspiciously) inadequate police presence and sacked the Capitol Building while Congress was in session counting the electoral votes. MAGA thugs murdered a police officer, beating him to death with a fire extinguisher, and seriously injured dozens more officers. (They actually beat officers with Blue Lives Matter flag poles. So much for Republicans being the law and order party.) Shamefully, they raised the Confederate flag in the Capitol for the first time in history. Somehow, they infiltrated the unmarked offices of senior Congressional members, tucked away deep in the building. They urinated and defecated in the halls and on desks, as Secret Service and other officers eventually evacuated VP Pence and Congress members to secure locations, where they hid for nearly 4 hours as the Capitol was pillaged. Four members of the mob died (1 shot by police as she broke through a door, 1 crushed by fellow rioters, 1 from a heart attack and 1 from a stroke.)
While sheltering in basement safe rooms, Pence and Congressional leaders called area governors for National Guard assistance and military leaders for aid, but hours passed with no help because Trump failed to approve activation of troops. (The media was told by White House staff that Trump was watching it all on TV, relishing the mayhem.) Trump eventually issued a lukewarm statement suggesting calm and telling his people “I love you, you’re very special.” Finally, the situation was so dire that troops arrived on Pence’s say-so and cleared the Capitol. Meanwhile, Trump’s domestic terrorists prowled the House and Senate galleries and ransacked offices. They defaced statues. They stole government laptops and official documents. And they recorded it all on their phones, posting victory videos online, which the FBI is finding very helpful in the resulting criminal investigation of these far-right militia members, Proud Boys, white supremacists, QAnon loons, and willfully ignorant sadistic bullies devoted to Donald Trump. Already, many of the faithful are demanding pardons from Trump, saying he invited them and they were just doing what they were told. And what he told them to do was insurrection, a blatant and deadly attack on government.
Every last one of these felons should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, including conspiracy and insurrection charges. So should their fearful leader, Trump, who created the mob and directed it to wreck the Capitol. Finally, Republican enablers such as Senators Cruz and Hawley, who used this crisis for their own political ends, should be removed from office for aiding insurrection and subverting the Constitution.
This ugly stain on America will never be erased. As difficult and unpleasant it may be, all those responsible must be exposed, investigated and held accountable, just as any vicious wound must be exposed, cleaned and treated in order to heal—not just covered with dirty rags. We must not take the easy path or fall for the argument that unity is paramount, to let the how and why of this be covered up. If we don’t fully investigate and prosecute this horrific crime (just as we do crimes committed by groups NOT 99% white, for instance), if we just digest it and pretend to move on for expediency–then, the next occurrence will be worse, far worse.
On the local level here in Lakeway, THANK YOU to all the MAGA folks who suddenly removed Trump signs and flags from their yards, after Jan. 6. As for those who still display Trump signs and flags, even after this atrocity, well…. I defend your right to make a political statement, however pathetic, misguided and dangerous I personally believe it to be. And, I apologize in advance for vomiting on your lawn.
Impeachment
The House immediately moving to impeach Trump was the right thing to do, in order to protect the nation and rein in this dangerous president.
It is unfortunate that the McConnell-helmed Senate refuses to take up its Constitutional duty of the trial portion of impeachment, but that just means the matter will be handled by a Democrat-controlled Senate later this month. Once Trump is convicted of inciting insurrection, a simple majority can strip him of the perks of being a former president (including getting classified briefings from various departments) and bar him from ever again holding federal office. (Many Republicans are secretly desperate for that last bit to happen, since it is their best hope of salvaging the GOP.)
There is an old-world saying, when someone gets the hugely awful thing that was coming to him. Hoist with his own petard. Shakespeare used the phrase, and it evokes the image of someone so grossly flatulent that his foul gas lifts him up, before he falls back to land with a splat in the fetid mess. It is disgusting, but that is the point, because it happens to disgusting people enmeshed in disgusting things. The phrase came to mean, more broadly, being taken out by one’s own bad act, as when a bomber is killed in the blast, or some evil plot backfires in glorious poetic justice, and the bad actor gets his comeuppance.
And that is exactly what happened to Donald Trump. His MAGA supporters of all stripe—the intentionally ignorant, the grasping and greedy, the Fox News devotees, the crawled-out-from-under-rocks racists and xenophobes, and the violently insane conspiracy theorists—were all for many years squirted out of Trump like noxious gas. The sheer mass of the toxic pile lifted him up during his presidency, in turn encouraging him to commit worse and worse atrocities.
But, Trump finally went too far, inciting riot and insurrection on Jan. 6 that resulted in chaos, death, betrayal, and an unprecedented attack on American democracy. And, Trump dropped down with a resounding splat, to huddle alone and covered in his own filth. Desperately trying to hose themselves clean of the muck at this late date, Trump’s political appointees have fled, his contributors have withdrawn, his banks have dropped him, and his business associates have reneged on deals. Social media finally got brave enough to ban Trump for the greater good, universities rescinded their honorary degrees, lawyers declined representation, and long-time associates aren’t taking his calls. The shocked and scared rats are finally deserting Trump’s sinking ship.
But, remember, Trump’s supporters were there with him all the way to the noxious end. They facilitated and cheered every foul act he committed for 4 years. Had Trump won the election—or had the Jan. 6 riot somehow continued his presidency as planned—they would STILL be by his side. And Trump would STILL be the disgusting monster that has now been exposed. Jumping back in horror NOW is sheer hypocrisy. It is far too little and much too late. Trump’s toxic muck will stick to his supporters forever.
Trump’s last crime against the country may well be turning DC into a military Green Zone, teeming with military troops and bristling with wire fencing and a near-complete shutdown of the city. That is because Trump STILL refuses to concede the election and clearly call off his ravening hordes. Per the FBI, far-right militants are threatening to attack DC again, with the inauguration a likely target, as well as state government buildings across the country. So, an ugly war-like backdrop will blight the coming inauguration, already cut to the bone by Covid. On the other hand, counting the troops on duty, Biden’s pandemic inauguration may well have a larger crowd than the skimpy attendance Trump’s budget-busting inauguration attracted.
The Coronavirus
Worldwide, we recently passed 2 million people dead of Covid. It took 9 months for Covid to kill the first 1 million, but just 3 months for the second million to die.
In the US, the total dead passed 400,000 on Jan. 15 with scant notice. (Remember when the total hit 100,000 in late May, and everyone was stunned at the melancholy milestone? Well, we hit 200,000 in mid-September and 300,000 on Dec. 11.) Now, we keep setting records for most daily deaths–3,000, 4,000, higher. As for new cases, a quarter million per day has become the norm. Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed.
Texas joined the more-than-30,000 dead club, along with CA and NY. Daily stats report 300-400 people dead. New cases are typically over 20,000 per day. Current hospitalizations are at 14,000.
Travis County is also experiencing record cases and deaths. Along with the vast majority of the state, it surpassed Gov. Abbott’s hospitalization threshold, so retail and restaurant occupancy was cut from 75% to 50%, and elective medical procedures were banned. (This ineffectual response is typical from our Trump-puppet governor.) Austin is now treating overflow Covid patients in a field hospital set up at the Convention Center.
In the latest of Trump’s many Covid failures, it turns out that Project Warp Speed (which term unfairly denigrates all things Star Trek) grossly over-stated the amount of vaccine available, with stock recently promised to states not actually in existence. Something else the Biden administration will have to fix….
Most states seem unable to administer the vaccines already on hand, which is infuriating, particularly with the current deadly surge that seems at least partly due to new and extra-contagious mutant strains of the virus. Of course, America had to be told about these new strains by other countries that test for them–just like they perform contact tracing and do the other hard work that is necessary to survive a pandemic but that the US just can’t seem to get off the ground.
Texas reports getting nearly 2 million doses, yet it has vaccinated less than 1 million people. What are we waiting on? I would love to get vaccinated, but it will be months before I’m eligible. Like most people, I am fine with rules and tiers and waiting for my turn, as long things are clear, fair and well-managed. This mess is none of that.
In Lakeway
Locally, everyone is in a tizzy about gates suddenly being erected to stop traffic cutting through a certain very popular parking lot, as we all prefer to run our errands to HEB, the post office, etc., WITHOUT risking getting on 620. The blame lies with city officials, who allowed HEB and the many satellite businesses in The Oaks to open in 2014 BEFORE the developer built the road to handle the traffic these businesses generate. Worse, the city failed to get the agreement for later build of the road properly signed. Then, officials let the situation fester. So, all these years later, we have MORE development, MORE traffic, and STILL no internal road connecting to Lohmans. And, 620 is slated to be re-done in 2023, with long-term re-routing and closures; without an alternate internal road, we will have gridlock that makes our current situation look good. But, Stratus is not interested in building a multi-million dollar road now just because we need it, so Lakeway can 1) sue them or 2) build the road with taxpayer money and THEN sue them. Both options stink. By the way, the Mayor in 2014, when this problem was created, was Dave DeOme. His successor, Joe Bain, signed the 2015 and 2016 amendments to the Stratus agreement. Maybe they and the several Council members serving back then should direct traffic in the cut-through parking lot until the road gets built.
Council’s next meeting will be on Tuesday (due to MLK Day on Monday), Jan. 19, 6:30pm. It is being held ONLINE.
Agenda items include the 2020 deer survey. Last summer, it was stated that this survey would determine if culling would be reinstated (with funds set aside for this in the budget.) The agenda says discussion and vote, so they could decide to go back to culling via TTT or TTP. The survey is included in the Meeting Packet; this monster of a document has nearly 400 pages, so I will add the survey here as a PDF.
Wildlife Advisory Committee seems to have been disbanded. Its last meeting was a full year ago, and it was not calendared then cancelled if no urgent business, as was done in 2020 for other committees due to Covid.
From my reading of this survey, done in November, a grand total of 15 more deer were counted than in 2019, during the 27 miles driven. (That minimal difference is well within the range of error.) Looking at the 4 surveys done, the results are: 2017–351 deer, 2018–402 deer, 2019–393 deer, and 2020–408 deer. Those counts are remarkably stable. The results certainly don’t indicate the herd is growing dangerously. On the last page of the report, the surveyor indicates that he does NOT think the herd will increase. In addition, he says that while a hunting ranch might want to cull, an urban area like ours may well have a different view.
According to the last statistics the city released on deer encounters (car accidents, carcass pick-ups, and nuisance complaints), those numbers were on the decline, as well. So, there seems to be no reason to return to the inhumane trapping and killing of our deer. In addition, in these hard economic times, using taxpayer funds ($100,000 or so per year) for such a divisive program is fiscally unsound as well as unconscionable. Many Lakeway residents enjoy the deer and feel their presence is part of what makes living here special. I hope Council and the Mayor honor that, but I have given up expecting rational decisions. Last January, they voted to return to TTT despite that year’s survey showing a DROP in herd size, and they were only stymied in doing so because the city waited too long to get going as far as state permitting and hiring a trapper. Maybe the same logistics apply this January, or maybe they have already taken those preliminary steps. Guess we’ll soon find out. If you don’t want our deer killed, let Council know ASAP. (Email them and/or arrange to speak by phone for 3 minutes during the Jan. 19 meeting, all via the link below.)
The Agenda has several other items, including discussion of the new Master Park Plan. In addition, the new Rough Hollow agreement will be discussed in detail; it may come to a final vote. Last time, the most contentious issue was allowing Legends to add a storage facility (for cars and wine), but there is also the matter of water access and sports parks required by the original agreement but never created. Officials who accepted campaign contributions from Legends owner Haythem Dawlett and CEO Bill Hayes should recuse themselves from discussion as well as voting, but that hasn’t happened with Legends matters so far.
The Agenda and Meeting Packet can be found here— https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
To send comments to Council beforehand and/or request to speak in person at the meeting (there is a 3pm deadline on the meeting date) about any agenda item, go here and create a Public Comment Form–https://lakeway-tx.civicweb.net/Portal/CitizenEngagement.aspx
Go here to watch this Council meeting online (live or after the fact)— https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1062/Videos—Meetings-Events
Back to me….
The snow was very pretty, but no more for a few years, please. If I wanted to worry about driving on ice and having my skylight compromised by a heavy load of snow, I would live in Michigan.
When I see deer on my morning walks now, I wonder if they will soon be hunted, trapped and killed again by the city. There are so many insane things happening at this time; I pray that this doesn’t become another one.
Cute ducks!
Panda cub update:
Toys! https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo/videos/227061128898233